


The Moon Laughs

by Lady_Origami



Series: The Sky Weeps [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Coffee, Dysfunctional Family, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fights, Five has PTSD, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Groundhog Day, Hurt/Comfort, Number Five | The Boy Has Issues, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Ben Hargreeves, Protective Klaus Hargreeves, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Self-Doubt, Sibling Bonding, Time Loop, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, not really a fix-it, there's an underlying plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2019-11-07 11:43:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 80,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17959847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Origami/pseuds/Lady_Origami
Summary: After attempting to transport all of his siblings back in time, Five wakes up to a familiar scene. Again. And again. And again. He doesn't know why he keeps being transported back to the day of his father's funeral, but he is determined to not waste it now that he has the foresight to prevent the apocalypse. He just wished he didn't feel so alone doing it all over again.





	1. I. Encore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Five realizes there is a silver lining

His power had limits.

Five had learned this long ago. His power had limits. There was only so many times he could jump in a span of time before he exhausted himself and his stamina. Over time, he had tried to push the boundaries of his gifts, to stretch them just a bit farther. But there was always a limit.

Now, stuck in his thirteen year old body, holding the hands of his siblings as the world comes to an end, Five wonders why it had to come to this. Teleporting through time on his own accord had been disastrous, but teleporting five (six?) more people along with him was a gamble of the highest order.

This unfortunately, was the only option left.

He yells at them to hold on, that it’s going to get messy. He can already feel his body straining under the force of his limits as he pushes himself to the brink. The glowing blue under his eyelids flashes violently, crackling with energy as a portal is opened. It couldn’t all be for nothing. All of those years in isolation, all of those lonely nights and haggard days. All of those evenings where he held a sniper rifle in his hands and wondered if it’d be better to just end it himself. All of the times he fell and couldn’t get up for hours, clutching at his bloodied knees as a child lost to a dead world.

The only thing that had kept him going was the small thread of hope that he could see his siblings once more.

To go home to Ben and Vanya. To talk late at night about literature, equations, and bad media with Ben. To be there during the times when he needed him, giving his sibling something to focus on by shoving quantum equations at him or complaining about the uselessness of his siblings during training sessions. To listen to Vanya shyly pluck out melodies on her violin late at night, to give her a rare smile and ask for another song. To go out and eat donuts with his siblings when they were all feeling mischievous and too awake to settle down for the night.

It wasn’t a great life, but it was his. It was the only thing he knew, and the only thing he wanted back. While that might not be possible anymore, what he could do, was fix the future from turning into the apocalyptic nightmare that he had endured. He could bring them all back, and they could try and repair the broken shambles of what they call a family. They could all try and be happy.

His hands tighten around the people he’s connected with, squeezing his eyes shut as he throws everything, he has into successfully warping them into the past. A strangled cry leaves his mouth unbidden, feeling his limbs ache with tension and his bones grind with the strain of his powers. Energy flashes around them, illuminating the theatre eerily as the glass room shows pieces of the destroyed moon free falling towards the planet.

Five gives one last shout of effort, head falling back as the power flows through him before everything turns black. He has the strangest feeling of falling, weightless, as he continues to plummet. The only bit of consciousness he clings to wonders if he succeeded.

The blackness eventually warps into the smell of the outdoors and the earth beneath him. His chest flares in pain as he hits the ground, falling face down onto his forearms. Dry dirt rests under his fingernails, a swirl of crisp autumn wind. His body aches.

He feels like he’s been here before.

“Does anyone else see…little Number Five, or is that just me?” comes the bewildered voice of Klaus that echoes in his ears.

Five’s eyes shoot open in alarm. He has been here before.

Pushing past his weariness, Five forces himself into pushing off the ground and wobbling up onto his feet. He blankly glances at his hands, seeing that he’s wearing a suit meant for an adult which hangs off of him. It’s a familiar fabric, one he wore on his last day as a killer and an adult before he had traveled back in time to stop the apocalypse. His breathing increases in speed. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t where or when he was supposed to be.

Five looks up and sees all five of his siblings huddled together standing over him, looking like he had just fallen out of the sky. In a way he supposes, he did. The catch was they were all still adults, wearing the same outfits they had one when he had previously teleported back. There was no mention of the plan, of what had happened just moments before. They were all staring at him the exact same way they had when he had first appeared to them eight days prior.

In wondered disbelief.

“Shit.” He breathes in dismay.

“Five?” Vanya calls out hesitantly to him.

“ _Shit._ ” He repeats, staring at them all blankly. “This can’t be happening.” He whispers.

What the hell happened?

He wastes no time, plowing past all of them and making his way inside. Several exclamations of alarm and confusion follow him, the loud footsteps of his siblings dogging behind him as he makes his way into the kitchen. As routine, he angrily sets down the cutting board on the table, along with a knife, moving to snatch the bread off of the counter.

“What’s the date? The _exact_ date.” He spews out angrily as the plucks two pieces of bread from the confines of plastic.

“The 24th. Vanya replies to him, somewhat breathlessly as if she’s seeing a ghost.

“Of what?”

“March.”

He picks up the knife and angrily stabs it into the cutting board, creating a loud slam that echoes throughout the room. His siblings are silent. Everyone is silent. The room feels too silent. Five breathes deeply, grip white-knuckled on the knife before he releases it. He’s not hungry. He doesn’t want to eat. He unconsciously came over because even after decades of not being here, the mundane every day of eating a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich had become routine in his childhood.

His mind churns a mile a minute, trying to figure out what happened. Had he simply travelled back in time once more eight days before the apocalypse? How did that make sense? What happened to his siblings? Why hadn’t they been affected? Where had they gone if he had failed? This didn’t make any sense.

“This doesn’t make any _sense_.” He mumbles out loud.

“Are we going to talk about what happened? You were gone for _seventeen years_ , Five.” Luther says chidingly, as if Five had a choice in the matter, as if he had any idea what Five had gone through.

“I was gone a lot longer than that.” He mutters bitterly, the déjà vu clinging like a veil over his memories.

He looks to his siblings all huddled around the kitchen table, staring at him expectantly for answers. Resignation creeps into his stomach and stays there like a pit of poison, churning slowly like a sickness in his veins. He failed. What if this wasn’t even real? What if it was a product of his imagination all along?

He inhales, trying to think of something, anything that would give him a way to prove that the past eight days had indeed happened.

“Klaus?” he murmurs softly, drawing a raise of an eyebrow from the disastrous sibling.

“Yes, sweet child o’mine?” Klaus grins back, swinging the tassel of the skirt he was wearing as he sits cross-legged on the table.

“Does Ben happen to remember anything about what happened just now?” Five asks gravely, bracing his palms on the table.

Klaus stiffens in surprise and the other siblings all swallow down reactions of shock.

It’s Vanya who breaks the silence. “Five I…Ben is…” she trails off with uncertainty, hesitant to speak about someone in the family who has departed.

“I _know_ what happened. That’s not the question.” He retorts to her, glancing back to Klaus. “I need to know if he remembers what happened just moments ago. Does he remember the moon falling? The attempt to teleport?” Five presses adamantly.

Klaus awkwardly side eyes the open air, clearly looking at Ben’s ghost for answers that he himself doesn’t understand.

“Five, I don’t know what happened, but it’s clear that you’ve been through quite a journey. Maybe it’s best for now, if you get some rest.” Luther says as he stands, his figure looming over everyone with ease.

It feels condescending.

Five feels rage bubble to the surface and spill over immediately. He didn’t have time to explain everything that happened to Luther of all people. The man had a morality streak that ran so high that Five could touch the sky with it. He wasn’t a child.

“Number _One_ , I understand that you’ve been on the moon for years now, but I’ll let you know right now, that I am not a fucking child. I have the subconscious of a 58-year-old that has been unfortunately stuck with this fucking thirteen-year-old body.” He grins and its all sharp with teeth, nothing pleasant about it.

“And while we’re at it, because last time you chided me about why I didn’t tell you anything sooner, how about I just tell you now!” Five rants, feeling all of the frustration lash out in waves.

Klaus is looking at him with genuine uncertainty, as if he doesn’t want to believe what Five is saying, but still listening all the same. The rest however, are all looking at him like he was batshit insane. Vanya was the worst of all, looking concerned and pitying. He didn’t need anyone’s pity, especially not Vanya’s. Vanya who, he thought out of everyone, would have believed him on first explanation.

The worst part of this is that Five doesn’t even know if they’re wrong or not. Maybe he really is insane.

“When I jumped forward in time, I jumped into an apocalypse. There was nothing there, nothing. You, all of you, were _dead_. I spent my life struggling off of anything I could find just trying to survive and make my way back to you. The old man was right about one thing, time travel is a crapshoot. I couldn’t get back initially. But the world ends in eight days, and I am here to stop it. We can fix this together, but it’s not going to be easy.” He breathes, taking a deep inhale before looking at every one of his siblings.

The silence this time was so thick it could be cut with a knife.

“Five.” Vanya starts tentatively, eyeing her other siblings before fixing her gaze back on him tenderly. “You’ve…you’ve been through a lot, maybe- “

Five interrupts her by slamming his fist on the table, everyone jumping at the sudden sound. God, why would he ever bother telling anyone anything. No one had believed him until it had been too late even before. He leaves them in the kitchen to their speechlessness, teleporting into his old room and slamming the door shut with a click of a lock. He angrily shoves open the closet, picking the first blazer he can find and changes into his old better-fitting uniform. Five inhales and exhales deeply, pulling on his black socks as he sits on his old bed, thinking of everything that happened in such a short span of time.

The jump hadn’t succeeded and somehow, he was right back where he started.

Shuddering out an exhale, he drops his head, hands coming up to cover his face as he trembles. He was so tired. He was so tired of working, tired of scraping his knees for solutions, tired of constantly pushing himself past his limits for nothing. He was just back where he had started. All of that effort for nothing.

Back again. Back again.

He breathes shakily, urging himself to calm down. Dropping his hands, Five stares out the window, watching as grey clouds begin to roll in. It would rain soon. His brothers would fight and break Ben’s statue while the rest of them stood around in complacency. He clutches the comforter between his fingers tightly as he sucks in a deep inhale, trying to find his bearings. He already knew what they would do, because this has all happened before. His brow furrows in thought, contemplating the routes he could take now that he knows everything, he didn’t the last time he was in this position.

Five tugs on his black dress shoes, tying the laces tightly before he gets up.

He had failed, but he wasn’t going to stop trying. This time, he can find a solution that was better now that he knew all the answers the second time around. He could save Vanya from herself and a toxic relationship. He could help his siblings connect. He could help make them a family again. Maybe he could simply prevent the apocalypse just by having the gift of foresight. Five breathes, straightening his tie and smoothing down his sweater vest underneath the blazer.

Time for take two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is going to be a long one folks, I hope you're ready for a ride! This isn't some fix-it fic where it simply takes place over the span of 8 days and then will end, there is actually an underlying plot through this story. Thank you for all of your encouragement from the last fic I wrote, you all have no idea how much your comments mean to me! Here we go!


	2. I. Accelerando

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Five has to make decisions

He had stared at his own portrait up on the fireplace for longer than needed. Even the first time, Five hadn’t known how to feel seeing that Reginald had commissioned a piece of him. Had the old man really cared that he went missing? Unlikely, he was probably just going through the motions of pretending to care. He stares up at the painting of himself, finding the humor in the irony of it all. Currently he looks the exact same as the day he went missing, it was almost funny.

Almost.

Vanya’s footsteps pad quietly behind him and he turns. This conversation, he’d need to try harder to connect. It was so hard for him to reach out and be vulnerable with his emotions after everything he’d been through. Even younger, communication wasn’t his strong suit, but he owed it Vanya to try. The family was already so distant from one another, but the gap between them and Vanya seemed almost unreachable.

“I read your book by the way.” He greets softly, the words familiar on his tongue. “It thought it was good, all things considered.” He sighs, putting his hands into the pockets of his shorts as he turns away from his painted visage. “Pretty ballsy, giving up the family secrets.” He mutters, staring into her dark brown eyes. “Sure that went over well.”

Vanya doesn’t hesitate. “They hate me.” She replies, a tone solemn but resigned to that outcome.

Five exhales.

“No Vanya, I don’t think they do. I just think they don’t know any better. You know we’ve always been broken. We grew up that way, and we stayed that way. Jagged pieces don’t make a puzzle fit, and the old man hardly cared whether we were cohesive as a family…just cohesive as a unit on the mission field.” Five says, certainty lining his pale eyes.

“Five I-I just had so much I wanted to say and I felt like no one would listen. So I just-I just starting writing and-“ she trails off, fiddling with the cuffs of her sleeves.

“Vanya I-“ he starts where she stops, but finds his throat tightening in uncertainty.

Five is good at many things. Solutions, math, speed reading, combat, adapting, the ability to work under extreme pressure. The list could go on. Talking about feelings is not one of those things. As a child, he tried in his own way to be there for his siblings. For Vanya. For Ben. He gave them things to focus on, or would distract their attention away from the loneliness and uncertainty that clouded their heart. Or at least, he had tried. He wonders if they knew that he tried.

Now even after all this time, he realizes he still doesn’t know how to open up to people. Those decades of isolation meant nothing because he had no one alive to talk to. Delores was…is amazing, and she had been so good to him. But Delores couldn’t fill the void of everything that had been so missing in his life. He hadn’t developed a single social skill out there alone. He grew up in isolation, only knowing the meaning of survival.

Now, when he needs it most, he can't find the words words.

“ _Vanya_ I…” he tries again, clenching and unclenching his fists as he tries something, anything to convey that she isn’t alone. “I-missed you.” He finally utters out shakily. “I _want-_ “

“Hey.” Calls a voice at the door frame.

The two glance over to find Luther clutching their father’s urn full of ashes to his chest, looking at them expectantly. Five internally curses the timing of it all, angry at himself for not being able to change the scenario. It’s fine, he had time. He had time. This was just the beginning, he just needed to be ready. After the wake, he could just go to his room and map out the specific scenes and figure out the best way to create an ideal dialogue for that moment. Everything could be mapped out into equations and schematics, even conversations. Even words.

“It’s time to scatter the ashes, come on. And don’t forget to bring your umbrellas.”

It’s already raining when the group of them head outside, the later afternoon only adding to the chill of the day. The wayward siblings shuffle into the back yard, all lightly circling around Luther who automatically assumes the lead. Ben’s statue looms overhead, and Five looks up at it in solemn contemplation. He misses him. Not getting to spend more time with Ben is something that will haunt him for the rest of his life. In a way, he can only blame himself for leaving Ben the way he did. He had been the closest with him and Vanya. Had anyone tried to be there for Ben when he was gone? His thoughts are interrupted as Klaus stands beside him, looking at Five with an indiscernible expression. He wonders if Klaus will even bother to tell him what Ben said in response to his question earlier in the day, or if he’ll even acknowledge it at all. It’s clear the other siblings didn’t know Klaus could talk to Ben, so they might think Five is just as unhinged now, if not misguided. He pushes down the urge to shiver, not having a coat to shield him from the stark cold of the late autumn season.

“Whenever you’re ready, dear boy.” calls Pogo to Luther in his gentle old voice.

Five watches one more as the leader of their group pours out their dearly beloved father’s ashes onto the wet earth, all of them piling up onto one another with no wind to properly scatter them. The awkward silence is enough to make Klaus suck in a wince beside him as he fumbles with his cigarette. Five agrees with that sentiment.

“Might have been…better with some wind.” Luther mutters.

In a way Five can only pity the leader of their broken group. It’s clear Luther worked so hard for dad and the reward for that was being sent to the moon so Reginald didn’t need to keep staring in the face of a failed experiment. Luther was so dedicated to father though, the one true believer that he was a good and kind man underneath all of the pushing he did.

“Would anyone like to say a few words?” Pogo calls softly.

The silence speaks for itself.

“Yeah, I would.” He interrupts, earning a couple bewildered stares. “You know, dad wasn’t a paragon of virtue. He wasn’t a real father, and he treated us more like pawns on a chess board than actual human beings most of the time.” He starts, twirling his umbrella once in contemplation.

Luther is staring him down intently. His clenched jaw is a telltale sign that he’s going to interrupt soon.

“But dad did do one thing.” Five continues forward, locking eyes with Luther directly. “He made us a family. And like it or not, we are _family_. There’s no one who can do, what we do.” Five explains, gazing out across his siblings. “And this event has strangely brought us together again, and I don’t think we should waste that opportunity.”

The rain is loud overhead, he wants to go inside and have some coffee.

“And what opportunity is that supposed to be exactly, Five, huh?” Diego interrupts, looking like every bit of the rebel he tries to play, standing in the rain soaked to the bone.

“I’ve _told you_ already. There’s something bigger than all of us on the horizon. The apocalypse is happening, and now that we’re together, we can do something about it.” Five repeats adamantly, trying not to lose his temper.

“Don’t Five, okay? Just don’t.” Luther interrupts both of them, putting the lid back onto Reginald’s urn. “This is not the time or place to be talking about what happened to you in your time travel mistake. You know as well as I do that dad always said that teleporting through time when you’re not ready could have drastic consequences. Look, we’re all here for you if you need to talk, but not now. Not _here_.” He says sternly, apparently angry that the moment to respect their father has turned into a rally for them to band together for different reasons.

Five clenches his jaw, feeling his teeth grind together in agitation.

“You are so fucking useless, I don’t even know what to say.” He grits out, clutching his umbrella tightly in his grip. “What good are you if you don’t even listen to me? What the hell do you think I’m _doing_ here Luther? In case you weren’t aware, we all have powers! Things that are indescribable to the regular world, why is it so incomprehensible that I’m here to stop the apocalypse from happening in eight days?”

“You need to calm down.”

“No you need to get some fucking _common sense_ in your brain!” he snaps back, filled with an anger that had been simmering to the surface for days now. “Look around you Luther! He’s _dead!_  You want to believe his death has a reason? Has a higher purpose? Then look no further than this!” he shouts, gesturing to all of them with his free hand. “His death brought us back together, so we can prevent the real big picture. The end all to end all.”

He's bristling with caustic anger. They are all just so infuriating, thinking they can treat him as a child. They have no idea what he's been through, what's he's done to get here. Why didn’t anyone believe him? It wasn’t as if this was anything out of the ordinary from what they’ve experienced before, Five just didn’t know why everyone was trying so hard to resist the idea that it might be real. Before he had just tried to do it on his own, and when the truth finally came out, Luther admonished him for not telling him about the apocalypse sooner. And now that Five drops it from the get-go, he wasn’t even being taken seriously?

“We’ll talk later.” Luther eventually says.

It’s a dismissal.

“Nah nah, why don’t we just talk now right? Get it all out in the open.” Diego interrupts, stepping forward with a dark gleam in his eye that spells trouble.

“Diego.” Luther warns, wanting to shut it down before it even starts.

“No Luther, I don’t get why you even give a shit. You’d think if anything you’d be on Five’s little bandwagon to rally the troops, right? Give us all some higher purpose bullshit so you can pretend like the last couple years of your life weren’t totally worthless.” Diego drawls, a hint of a smile lopsidedly forming on his face.

“I am warning you. Stop.” Luther grits out.

“That man was a _monster_. He was a bad person, and a worse father. The world’s better off without him.” Diego grits out, looking his taller sibling straight in the eye.

“You need to stop talking _now_.”

“What I need is to get on with my life because I’m more than just a fucking number. If you want to stand here and mourn someone who made our lives miserable and gave us daddy issues, you’re totally free to. But don’t pretend like you were special to him. He sent you away all the way up into space because he couldn’t even stand the _sight_ of you.”

That’s all it takes for Luther to snap, winding back a punch and releasing it towards Diego’s face. Five watches in disbelief as the siblings break out into a fistfight in the courtyard once again. He watches Allison back up with a roll of her eyes. He watches Vanya step back, gently dragging back mom with her and yelling at them to stop. He watches Pogo protest. He watches Klaus throw out a hand to actually try and shield him protectively from the fight, even while egging the fighting brothers on verbally. What a contradiction. It all plays out exactly like it had the first time. Lots of angry shouting and emotionally driven punches. It’s sloppy, it’s childish, and it’s a disaster. He stays just to watch Luther drive a fist into Ben’s statue on accident, his brother’s memory falling and crashing to the floor. It breaks on impact, chunks scattering across the earth and into the wet dirt. He feels a dull ringing in his ears, voices muted and muffled as if they’re underwater. The pouring rain sounds like waves of pelting glass upon the umbrellas, resonating loudly in his ears. He had changed the dialogue, but it still strangely ended up wrapping around into a fist fight. The outcome had been exactly the same. Nothing he said had made a difference. What had he done wrong there?

What had he done wrong?

“Shit.” He whispers, turning around and making a beeline for the door.

His throat feels tight as he slams open the door, closing the umbrella and tossing it away. It rattles to the floor uselessly. He inhales deeply through his nostrils, trying to push down the panic welling up in his stomach. Five teleports back up into his room, wheezing out an exhale and putting a hand up to his forehead. It was fine. It would be fine. He just needed to figure some things out. Maybe he wasn’t considering the proper solutions. Maybe he just needed to study his equations for time jumping so he’d be more prepared this time for transporting him and all of his siblings back. He could just let this time frame play out mostly the same, but instead of uselessly sitting around for a portion of it, he could focus on perfecting the calculations so when the time came, he’d be ready.

There are certain things he could prevent. Klaus’ kidnapping. Allison’s near-death situation ending in a potentially permanent injury. Did these things even matter in the long run? They were alive. They were fine. They were all together in the end when the world was falling apart. He sits on his bed, staring down at his shoes. Maybe he shouldn’t intervene at all. Maybe he should purposefully try and play it out exactly how it went the first time so at the very least it’d be a guaranteed chance to go back in time with all of his siblings there at the end. Five leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he rubs his forehead. Decisions, so many decisions. Did he try and improve this run even just a little bit? Or should he try and keep it moving like the first time line so he at least knew consistently what would happen? Could he remain impartial now that he knew how much pain his siblings would be in?

“Shit. _Shit._ ” He breathes, hiding his head in his hands.

He doesn’t know. For the first time in a long time, he’s genuinely lost at what to do. The entire world’s fate is riding on these decisions. His sibling’s fates are riding on these decisions. Five moves his hand to his chest, gripping tightly at the fabric there. His heart thuds in his ears, panic playing with his mind and laughing at his misfortune.

He’s scared.

He’s so very scared.

Eventually the rain stops, the sky begins to darken, and Five is no closer to a decision then he was when he first sat down to think. He unconsciously started scribbling out dimensions and volumes of his siblings’ mass as a total unit, moving from pen and paper right onto marking the walls again. He always had a tendency to write on anything he could find when the urge struck him to calculate. His hand slows down after a good third of the wall and his desk is covered in chalk, Five feeling light-headed with tension. He hadn’t eaten or had anything to drink at all in this new timeline, having chosen to initially forego the ridiculous sandwich.

He could go for some coffee.

Suddenly flashes from the previous timeline hit him all at once, the chalk falling from his hand. Five is sprinting out of his room and down the stairs before he even has time to consider the consequences of his siblings seeing him making a mad dash for the car. Panic floods through his veins at the thought of the elimination squad coming to the academy building and potentially using his siblings as bargaining tools.

There is a tracker in his arm and it’s getting dark.

He’s not supposed to be here. Regardless of his decision, Five isn’t going to put his siblings in unnecessary danger when he knows what’s going to happen. How could he have forgotten? Such an oversight could have been disastrous. It still could be if he didn’t get the hell out of here as soon as possible. He moves into the kitchen as Klaus and Allison are milling about, both startling at his sudden entrance.

“Five?” Allison questions with a raise of her eyebrow.

“Taking the car.” He bites out quickly, aggressively shuffling through a drawer to grab the keys for the vehicle.

“Where are you going?” Klaus asks, eyes sparking in interest.

“To get a decent cup of coffee!” he retorts, sucking in a breath of relief at finding them and quickly warping out of the room and inside the vehicle.

He tries to gun it out of the alley, pressing on the gas pedal with more force than necessary. The car doesn’t even make it out before he sees their silhouettes in the rear-view mirror. When he flicks his eyes forward there are two men standing with guns blocking off the entrance.

“ _Shit._ ” He curses to himself empathetically.

Okay. He’s going to make it fine. At least it wasn’t inside of the building. He could just, handle it here. If he fights quick enough, his siblings won’t even get outside in time to get caught up in the fight. Five debates gunning it anyways, wondering how much distance he could put between him and his siblings before the tire gets shot out or he himself gets shot through the windshield. The odds weren’t very impressive.

“Get out of the car.” The leader calls.

He grips the steering wheel tightly, forcing himself to be calm.

“That was fast, thought I’d have more time before you found me.” He tells them politely, slowly opening the door to the car and stepping out.

He holds up his hands in surrender, looking pensive and resigned as the five men slowly move closer to him. All of their guns are drawn, some of them look antsy, nervous. Clearly, they knew who they were dealing with.

“Okay, so let’s all be professional about this, yeah? Come with us, and then we’ll talk.” the squad leader commands.

Five likes him, though names for grunts weren’t his strong suit. Still, he knows the man has a small sense of morality because he will hesitate at shooting him. He doesn’t want to shoot a kid, that’s what he had said the first time around.

The was just a weakness to exploit.

“Okay.” He murmurs, keeping his eyes down to the floor. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to see them before…” he trails off, playing up the fact that he’s thirteen again by lightly shrinking in on himself. “Well, you know.”

“Let’s just head back over to Mission Control, and they can figure out what to do with you, alright?” The man says calmly. “Believe you me, I don’t wanna shoot a kid.”

Five knows that, and inevitably that’s going to be the man’s downfall. Five men in total. Surroundings aren’t ideal. It’s so cramped that the chances of being nicked by a bullet just by bad luck are high. Then again, that means the lackeys also have a high chance of shooting each other. He surveys the area, eyes flicking rapidly from the car, to the dumpster, up to the fire escape.

“Don’t worry, you won’t get the chance to.” He informs the man dully.

And just like that the alley is flooded with action.

Five disappears in a flash of light, dropping on top of the car with a grin. It’s all teeth and edges, eyes glinting with danger. He sprints across the top and leaps, aiming for one of the fighters at the end of the alley. Guns are raised and fired, Five feels a bullet graze by his cheek as the man holds up his gun to aim right at him. Before the gunner can pull the trigger, Five warps right through him and ends up on the other side. He skids, the crunch of gravel crackling in his ears. With a grunt he springs on top of the man’s back, ruthlessly wrapping his arms around their neck.

His victim chokes, fumbling with his gun and dropping it onto the ground as he tries to pry Five’s hands off of his throat. Five wastes no time smashing his foot into the back of his persecutor’s knee, sending the man falling down. Five uses the momentum to move down also, using the man’s body as a shield as he swipes up the gun from the ground. Whirling around, he shoots the nearest standing guard point blank in the head. His foot smashes down on the fallen man’s knee, his howl of agony echoing off of the alley walls.

Four left.

Not wasting time, he whirls the gun into the air, throwing it high into the middle of the alley. He warps, hearing the clang of bullets embed themselves into the brick walls where he was moments before. Five comes out on top of the fire escape, the sound of his feet landing on the rusted metal alerting the rest of the soldiers to his presence. He’s teleporting before they even have time to correct their aim fully. Then he’s free falling in the middle of the alley. His hands snatch the still airborne gun as he falls, firing a spread of bullets in front of him and feeling the satisfaction at the pained cries that ring out.

Two left.

He lands on the ground, feeling a wave of vertigo that suddenly tilts his vision sideways. Grunting in disorientation, he falters, dropping to one knee as it scrapes harshly against the course ground. His palm catches him before he falls farther but there’s no time to stop. His eyes land on a discarded glass bottle. It feels cold in his hand as he silently sweeps it up. When he properly looks up, he freezes, his eyes staring at the scope of a gun aiming down at him.

“ _Stop_ , kid.” The leader commands. "You're done."

There's the hesitation.

“Not on your fucking _life_.” Five bites back, disappearing in a flash of blue light.

The man automatically turns in alarm, trying to find where Five warped to. He is met with a bottle being smashed over his head. Five hadn’t warped at all, that trick was always one of his favorites. Clutching tightly to the remaining shard in his hand, he uses the moment of surprise to barrel the man over. They both fall harshly, and Five finishes the job by slitting the man's neck in one foul swipe. He pants, watching the life leave the man’s eyes as he stumbles off of the body and onto his feet. Black spots dance across his vision and he needs to lean against the car in disorientation. Shit, he really needed some coffee. Exhaling, Five makes a mental count as he straightens up. No time to let his guard down. Not yet.

One left.

Wait, one left?

He blinks, confused. A cry of agony alerts his attention to one of the men at the very end of the alley. Broken pieces of glass crunch under his footsteps as he makes his way over to the pitiful sight. Right, he had broken the man’s knee cap after all. Taking a deep breath, he allows the glass he had been clutching tightly in his hand to drop, hissing lightly as it went. Five calmly stands over the man’s prostrate form, bending over to cradle their head with bloody hands. With a sudden twist of the man’s head, their neck is snapped. An easy finish.

None left.

His breaths feel unsteady, and his limbs weak but at least the job is done. Five steps away from the body, turning back to survey the damage when he stops short. Diego and Klaus are standing in the doorway of the alleyway with wide eyes, staring at Five with stunned alarm. The three stare at each other in speechless surprise, the wail of sirens being heard in the distance. Five can smell the mixture of petrichor and blood in the crowded alley. It makes him feel sickly.

He blinks out of his stupor.

“Well…” he starts eloquently. “This is exactly what it looks like.” He announces blandly, feeling a thick stream of blood drip sluggishly down his hand. “While you’re here, I’m going to need to borrow one of your knives if you don’t mind. I'll give it back of course.” He mutters, addressing Diego.

He straightens his tie, his bloodied hands staining the white fabric of his blouse. The two still haven’t moved from their spot, seemingly shell-shocked at the scene in front of them. Diego blinks as Five approaches them, straightening up as he looks from the bodies back to Five.

“Preferably _now_.” Five stresses.

Speechlessly, Diego procures one of his signature winged blades, awkwardly holding it out to his bloodied sibling. Five nods in thanks, snatching it without another word and turning to prop his elbow on the car. This wasn’t ideal, nor particularly sanitary as his hands were already a bloody disaster but he didn’t have much time to dally about it. He cuts into his own skin, hissing out an exhalation of pain as he lightly slices a small vertical line down his inner forearm.

“Je- _esus_ , what are you _doing!_ ”Klaus exclaims in alarm, pushing past Diego and making a beeline for Five, awkwardly stepping over the corpse in his way.

“Tracker.” Five grits out as he wipes his hand on his blazer before digging his fingers into his cut.

The pain makes his legs weak, and it’s a struggle not to collapse at the sudden flare of agony as he tries to clamp on the tracker embedded into his arm. Eventually his fingers find the metal device, pulling it out of his skin, a fresh gush of blood exiting with it. Klaus flails his hands around in the air beside him, awkwardly hovering over Five's form but not getting close enough to touch him. Five pockets the tracker for now, he'll discard of it in a different location, one that isn't right beside his old house.

“Diego and I were going out for some late night breakfast, but imagine our surprise when we hear gunfire and I hadn't even committed a crime yet!” Klaus says with a laugh, but there’s a tightness to it that conveys concern.

“That is _not_ what we were doing.” Diego mutters mulishly, finally managing to find his voice. “Five what the actual hell is going on here, huh?” he demands, crossing his arms as he crosses over to the other two siblings, immediately trying to fill the shoes of leader.

Five stares at him petulantly, finding it ironic now that there were five bodies lying at their feet that Diego wanted answers. It wasn’t good enough to just take him at his word, no, they all needed physical proof in the form of corpses! The sirens grow louder. He doesn’t want to deal with that. Five surmises neither of his siblings want to deal with the cops in this situation.

“I could go for some breakfast.” He says faintly, trying to focus his vision.

"Oh for fuck’s sake.” Diego groans, throwing his hands up into the air at a loss.

Klaus grins, eyes lighting up in interest. “You like waffles?”

He does like waffles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -snaps fingers to Istanbul song-
> 
> oooOFTA this one was a whammy guys, super long chapter! I hope you like it, I think it got a little crazy. It's fun being a bit surprising, though it was hard writing for the combat. I hope I made it easy to understand but still give a feeling of it being fast and action-packed. I'll try and improve on it if not! As I've said before, I correct and beta by myself so if there are errors I will be combing through and fixing those asap. 
> 
> Please throw me your feedback/comments, your support on the first chapter really motivated me to get this one out!


	3. I. Glee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Five finally eats a meal

Five jerks awake feeling hands on his wrist. He snaps his head to the side to see Klaus attempting to put a bandage on the wound. Exasperated, he wrenches his arm away, huddling closer to the window.

“I told you he’d wake up.” Klaus whines, putting his hands up in surrender while throwing an angry glare to the middle seat.

Ben then.

Diego sighs, shaking his head as he drives. “Look, just patch up your arm so you don’t die of blood loss. I don’t need to be framed for your death if you keel over in the back of my car.” He grouses.

“Harsh Diego! So. Very. _harsh_.” Klaus sighs dramatically. “Our brother is injured-practically invalid, and all he’s asking for is breakfast.” he breathes heavily, sliding down in his seat with a hand to his forehead.

“No _, you_ asked for breakfast. Five is doing… _something_ , but I really doubt it’s because he actually wants breakfast, ain’t that right?” Diego huffs, eying his mirror.

Five gives him a cheeky grin in return, knowing it looked unsettling and strange. “Actually, I haven’t eaten in quite some time, so I’m really just here for some breakfast and a good cup of coffee if that’s even possible.”

Amusement hums in his mind when Diego grimaces, looking back down at the road.

“So fucking weird.” His sibling mutters more to himself than to Five, turning up the radio in agitation.

He supposes he momentarily dozed off in the car. Not ideal, but it could be worse. At least he wasn’t forced back inside the house and made to sit down as a spectacle for the rest of the siblings. Of all people to see him, Five is pleasantly surprised that it was Diego and Klaus. Diego who makes fighting part of his evening routine, and Klaus who finds entertainment in the abnormal. Better yet, Diego keeps a first aid kit in his car. Of course he does.

Five wonders how many times the man has had to patch himself up alone.

He shakes his head, immediately pushing away those thoughts.  There’s some antiseptic that’s sitting on the car seat, bouncing lightly with travel. In fact, most things in the kit were not haphazardly scattered around the seat, courtesy of Klaus.

“What, Ben didn’t tell you which steps to start with?” Five mutters in dry amusement.

“No he did, but I knew better and said you’d wake up so I just wanted to get it- “Klaus trails off, freezing in dialogue as he realizes he confirmed Ben’s presence.

He can hear Klaus’s jaw snap shut with an audible click of his teeth. Five stares him down for a moment before going back to cleaning his wound, shaking his head to himself. He hisses in a quiet breath, finding it a hassle that this body is not as accustomed to pain as he mentally is. His fingers tremble with exertion but he’s able to wrap his arm with medical gauze with a bit of finessing. At the very least he had experience treating his wounds, but damn did he need some coffee. After putting the supplies away, he shifts away, leaning against car door and staring out the window.

He doesn’t feel well.

Klaus is humming some sort of tune to himself, conducting his mental orchestra with a twiddle of his pointer fingers as Diego pulls up to the parking lot of Griddy’s Doughnuts.

“There. Now get out, both of you. I don’t have time for this, some of us have actual work to do.” Diego commands, turning in seat to look back at them in agitation.

“Off to play Robin?” Klaus asks with a lazy smile, propping his feet up on the front seat’s armrest “And here I was, thinking we could all bond like in the good ole’ days.”

“Just get out! You’re lucky I even drove your asses here alright?” Diego orders with snappy frustration, his already thin patience gone.

 Five watches the scene with dull eyes, not surprised by the bicker from his siblings. He looks down at his bloodstained hands in contemplation, wondering how to possibly salvage this. He had wanted Diego to go in with them in the hopes that Five could sway him to his side. After all, there was proof tonight that his words might have weight to them. One couldn’t blame a swat team trying to kill him and chalk it up to his imagination.

His hands are sticky as the blood begins to dry, leaving a tacky residue on his pale palms. In grim realization, he realizes it won’t work. This whole thing, just won’t work. Rallying his siblings together to bond and understand each other won’t erase the decades of hurt between them. It wont erase the scar tissue that still lingers on old wounds that reopen as soon as they come in contact with one another. There has been too much damage done to try and fix that in just eight days. He thought that even in their differences they could band together and fight a greater good Maybe that might be true. But what if the greater good is learning how to forgive and forget? What if the greater good is accepting the pain, accepting the mistakes, and the genuine want to move forward? What if the greater good, is for all of them to want it? To want to be a family again?

He had been so naive.

“Forget it.” He mutters bitterly, opening his car door and stepping out.

Black spots dance in his vision as soon as he shuts the door, Five awkwardly leaning back against the car in an attempt to stabilize himself. Klaus and Diego were still bickering, their words lost to the dull roar in his ears.

“Fuck.” He whispers, breathing in deep through his mouth and trying to regulate his breathing.

Forget this. He’d just, go to Vanya’s place. By foot. He’s been in far worse situations than being dehydrated and losing some blood. Far worse. This was nothing, this is nothing. He’s fine. He’s always fine. Five pushes himself off the car, forcing himself to put one foot in front of the other away from the car.

“Hey, hey hey where are you going?” calls Klaus, the man quickly scrambling out of the car, Diego driving away as soon as the man stepped out.

“Who cares?” Five says nonchalantly, keeping his gaze fixed on the city skyline twinkling in the distance as he moves forward.

“Oh come on, don’t you bail on me too _! Breakfast_ , Five!” Klaus begs, quickly jogging over, his disheveled black hair bouncing with every step.

He shivers.

“I-“ Five starts, but finds himself at a loss.

Klaus wants company, and is more than willing to sit down with him. Does that matter? Did it matter? It shouldn’t. He should just refuse and make his way to Vanya’s. A more emotional part of him wants to sit down with Klaus. He wants to talk to Klaus. He misses Klaus. Klaus understood the most out of them what he had been through, or at least…the first time around he had.

Five really failed him too.

There was so much he could do better this time.

He’s about to turn around when his vision blurs, black spots dancing across his eyes. He stumbles, feeling the ground turn upside down.

“Oh.” he murmurs blandly as his legs give out, world going blissfully black.

When he comes to, he can feel a small but desperate tapping to his cheek. He’s lightly propped up on the wet ground, body being clutched tightly to someone’s chest. Disoriented, an unwilling whimper falls out of his lips, Five shuddering away from the frigid evening air and into the warmth.

“Hey short stack, it’s okay, you back with me?”

Klaus.

His eyes shoot open, blearily trying to untangle himself from his brother’s hold with a grunt of alarm. It doesn’t have the desired effect. His hands are trembling and his body doesn’t seem to be cooperating with him. Five feels like an actual child, weak and unable to coordinate his mind with his actions. His vision is still being uncooperative, blurring in and out of focus.

“ _Woah_ , no no no, easy! Easy.” Klaus exclaims. _“Jesus_ , you straight up fainted. How about you forget the whole distant persona for a second, being grumpy probably takes a bit out of you.” He says with a tight smile, exhaling a laugh that feels as forced as it looks.

“What the hell.” Five rasps weakly, shakily putting a hand up to his forehead.

“Okay, okay just-is this a blood loss thing or is this something else here? Did the shock of breakfast cause you to swoon?” Klaus asks desperately, the unease in his eyes contradicting the smile on his face.

Using all the energy he has, Five levels Klaus with a glare.

“Okay better question.” Klaus mutters, looking down at his sibling with growing concern. “Should we take him to a hospital?” he questions, forgoing trying to speak with Five at all.

Five weakly shakes his head anyways, attempting to clench Klaus’s jacket tightly to make his brother focus on his decision.  Once again, it fails to have the desired effect. Klaus simply looks concerned, hugging Five tighter to his chest and murmuring something softly to Ben. Frustrated, Five closes his eyes, trying to gather the strength to speak.

“Huh? Really?” Klaus mutters, huffing out a scoff. “Okay, _okay_! God, it’s not like you’re a doctor.” he mutters in annoyance, nibbling on the tip of this thumb in a nervous habit.

“Hey uh bud, open your eyes for a sec. Are you…” he trails off, giving a shake of his head. “Are you uhhh, having...low blood sugar?” he asks with confusion in his hazel eyes.

Well. Five couldn’t quite say if that was the main issue at large, but figured it’s close enough to his dilemma that he might as well just say yes. He stares at Klaus blearily, giving a feeble nod of his head. Klaus watches his reaction for a moment before a manic smile forms on his lips, a harsh laugh of disbelief shaking his body.

“You just killed like, five guys in the parking lot then slit your wrist open, and the thing that takes you down is _sugar?_ Jesus kid.” Klaus breathes, trying to gently prop Five up more. “Okay well the good news is there’s our savior, Griddy’s Doughnuts just a walk away. You think you can manage or do you want me to carry you in?”

Five scoffs, as if Klaus could even manage to lift him.

“Wow you didn’t both need to do me like that.” Klaus mutters to himself, shifting from his crouched position. “Come on then, up we go if you’re all so doubtful of my impressive strength. We’ll go slow.” He urges, lightly holding Five’s elbows to gently guide him to his feet.

Such out of character gentleness from his normally disheveled brother makes Five feel mortified. He didn’t need to be coddled. He tries to open his mouth to say so, but the effort of just forcing his body to work steals his breath away.

“Easy, _easy_.” Klaus urges softly as Five wobbles to his feet, swaying lightly. “Damn you don’t look great short stack.” He mutters, concern shining his dark eyes.

He wishes Klaus would stop calling him that.

Slowly, much too slowly, they make their way over to the diner. As embarrassing as it was to admit, Five can’t help but be relieved that there was at least someone who had stayed by his side. If he collapsed on his way to Vanya’s who knows what would have happened. The timeline could have gone disastrous if he wasn’t there to at least intervene when needed. He couldn’t waste time dying in the night, or laying around in a hospital. Dazed, he didn’t even noticed that Klaus had practically been holding most of his weight anyways until the man fumbled to push the door open to the diner. His brother maneuvers Five into a booth, settling him down with a sigh of relief.

“Okay! That was easy right?” Klaus grins, scratching his cheek lightly as he stares down at Five.

He doesn’t say anything in return, simply leaning against the wall and settling his weight onto it tiredly. Even just that amount of exertion made him dizzy, shivering in cold sweat as he attempts to regulate his breathing. A soft weight settles over his shoulder, Klaus’ painted nails coming into view as his brother grabs Five’s wrist and lifting it through a coat sleeve.

Oh.

He blinks, looking down and realizing Klaus just gave up his own jacket for him to wear.

“For the uhhh…” Klaus trails off, pointing at his neck. He gives a wink and a click of his tongue before he twirls around, making his way quickly up to the counter to talk to the waitress.

Right. He must looks a bit of a fright being covered in blood. Five eyes the bathroom at the other end of the diner, sighing wistfully. It’d be nice to clean up, but it didn’t seem very plausible at this point in time. He tugs the coat closer to him, trying to cover up some of the blood smeared on his collar. His hands were a mess of crimson. Five simply hides them under the table, resting on his lap. The coat was a right mess, but it was warm. It had the strangest mix of scents. Something like rain, perfume, and nicotine. He didn't mind it.

“Oh the poor dear, but is he okay?” comes the far away voice of the lone waitress on duty.

“Oh he’ll be just fine, he’s just hippoglykismet. You know how it is.” Klaus replies. An awkward pause. “Hypoglycemic.”

Some more murmuring. He’s so tired.

“Hey. Eyes open kiddo.” Klaus whispers softly near him.

Five didn’t know when he had closed them again. A glass of orange juice is pushed across the table close to him, a neon blue straw to top it off. He blinks tiredly, raising his gaze to Klaus who was smiling at him expectantly.

“Drink that, apparently it’s one of the best things for sugar crashes. Who knew?” he says in dramatic bewilderment, taking a seat across from him.

Klaus rests his chin on the palm of his hand, elbows on the table as he watches Five with surprisingly sharp eyes, giving a lazy smile in response that contradicts his stare. His eyes shift to the side again, apparently listening to something Ben is telling him, sighing in response.

“I know you can’t possibly be doing well if you’re not even going to lash out about the nicknames.” Klaus mumbles lazily, smile falling into a neutral expression.

Five says nothing to that, cradling the juice close to him as he takes small sips of it through the straw.

“Okay. You do that, and I’ll talk.” Klaus declares, tapping his painted nails on the table in antsy energy. “So, Ben. You uh, you really believe me that he’s-“Klaus gestures to empty air. “You know he’s here?”

Five flicks his gaze to Klaus expectantly, hoping his expression would say it all.

“ _Riiight_ so. Ben didn’t know what you were talking about. Sorry.” Klaus apologizes with a wince, nibbling on his lip. “I didn’t wanna have a whole talk about that dead sibling situation in front of everyone else, if ya know what I mean.” He mutters. “They already think I’m off my rocker, guess they think you might be too what with the _time traveling_ and all.” He mutters with a breezy sigh.

Five leans back against the booth in disappointment, a shaky hand moving up to rub at his temples. Of course not. He didn’t know how spirits or death worked when time was involved. Foolishly, he perhaps had hoped that they weren’t able to be touched by the fabric of time. Thinking about it now was only giving him a headache. Inhaling deeply, Five simply sighs, returning to his juice.

One day in and Ben’s statue was still destroyed, his siblings were still selfish assholes, and his actions did nothing to change the flow of time. The only thing he had managed to do was almost put his siblings in danger and cause himself to pass out due to too much exertion and not enough stability. Killing people can take a lot out of someone he supposes, especially when he isn't used to it anymore. Even his pain tolerance and stamina had taken a hard hit. It's infuriating.

“Here you go boys, three servings of waffles. One with chocolate chips, one with all the fixings, and one with peanut butter and applesauce.” Rings the soft voice of the waitress, her face showing an old but maternal kindness as she sets the platters on the table. “I’ll be right back with the rest.”

Klaus claps his hands in delight, yanking one of the plates over to him. It’s piled on with bananas, strawberries, whipped cream, and a heaping drizzle of chocolate syrup. Five stares at the plate of waffles that had little chocolate chips melted into them. His heart aches. He softly tugs the plate towards his side of the table, but pushes it to the left of him. He gives Klaus a challenging stare before pulling the last plate to himself.

He wants Ben to sit by him.

Klaus chokes on a laugh. “ _Wow._ I never realized how great it is to have someone know.” He mutters in pleased surprise, eyes softening at Five’s challenging glare.

“What, you think _I_ knew your favorite waffle combination? Please. That was all him demanding it in my ear. Applesauce spread over _peanut butter_? What kinda drugs were you on as a kid?” Klaus snorts, but there’s a warmth in his eyes as he returns back to his plate, a small weight lifted off of his shoulders.

Five freezes as he chews on his first bite, the flavors of nostalgia almost bringing tears to his eyes. Sitting with Klaus and Ben; even if he couldn’t see one of them, it almost feels like home. It almost feels like warmth. It almost feels, like he never left. There is a simple happiness that he hadn’t remembered until now, the little things like this. He blinks a couple times, forcing those emotions down. Sneaking a glance at Klaus who clears his throat a bit too loudly, Five wonders if this was the first sense of normalcy that the other sibling had experienced in a long while too.

“I’m back boys!” the waitress chimes, her sandy blond hair bouncing as she brings more plates of food towards them. “You sure must be hungry. Well, you eat up.”

Eggs, pancakes, fruit, and an entire platter of doughnuts are all squished onto the table, barely managing to fit on top.

“Why the _hell_ did you order so much?” Five questions softly in bewilderment, his voice still a bit weak but slowly regaining some strength.

Klaus looks up from his plate with his mouth full. He winks, gesturing to Five’s chest. Raising an eyebrow, Five pats down the coat he had borrowed from his sibling, feeling a bulge in one of the inner pockets. He pulls out a wallet, opening it up.

The snort of laughter he makes in response is not dignified.

Klaus looks absolutely elated at his brother's delight, eyes twinkling with mirth as he shoves a chunk of waffle in his mouth. Diego’s driver’s license stares back at him with beady eyes and a brooding frown. Klaus must have pick pocketed it from his brother at some point during their bickering. Five's eyes land on Klaus who seems to have no problem showing how soft and endeared he is to his laughter.  Feeling embarrassed, he ducks his head, hiding a genuine smile as he plucks out Diego’s credit card.

Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are sleeping if you don't think Klaus and Five's interactions were heart warming and funny and had a ton of potential in the show. They're also kinda time traveling buds later on. ALSO can we talk about how it's legit canon that Five only called out for Vanya and Ben during his initial warp to the apocalypse when he was afraid? He calls out for Vanya, Ben, and Dad. :'( I believe him and Ben were very close so that's def a thing in this fic.


	4. I. Unison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Five realizes people might care for him

After a platter of waffles, a glass of orange juice, two doughnuts, and some water just for practicality’s sake, Five can safely say he feels like a functioning human being again. He’s eying another doughnut, contemplating if he can possibly stomach another one before his attention is drawn to Klaus clearing his throat.

“You know I uh-I can’t help but feel as a _concerned_ older brother that I should be asking you what happened back there.” He says, approaching the topic hesitantly while tapping his fingers on the table.

“I’m older than you.” Five automatically corrects, pleasantly surprised can hold a conversation once more.

Klaus smirks a lopsided little thing, putting his hands behind his head as he lounges in his booth. “If you want to be all ‘ _technically’_ about it, you’re still thirteen. Hence- “he points to himself. “Older brother.”

Five rolls his eyes, earning a pleased sound from Klaus.

“Klaus, I wasn’t lying about a single thing I said. There’s going to be an apocalypse in eight days and I’m here to stop it.” Five explains once more, exasperation already creeping into his tone. “Technically, I’ve already gone through this timeline, but I have more knowledge now. I’m a step ahead.”

“Yeah uh, was fainting from overexertion _part_ of that plan or- “Klaus interrupts cheekily, barking out a high-pitched laugh when Five throws a doughnut at him in agitation.

“ _Listen_ to me Klaus.” Five urges seriously. “I need to know if I can count on you, because I- “

Because he’s alone. Because he’s always been alone. Because he doesn’t have Delores anymore to bounce ideas off of, and he can’t bring himself to take her back after they parted. It wouldn’t be right for either of them. He had to grow up and leave that part behind him.

“Because _millions_ of lives are at stake, do you understand?” Five finishes, looking at his sibling intently.

Klaus just frowns, scratching a cheek and taking a sloppy bite of the doughnut Five had thrown at him. “And what would you have me do, brother of mine? Imminent death and destruction seem a bit uh, out of my skillset if you know what I mean. I just hear the after part of that whole kit and kaboodle.” the man sighs wistfully, running a hand through his hair with a yawn.

Five loves KIaus, but he also cannot stand the man’s mental thought process. It is inherently unhelpful as Klaus doesn’t ever think ahead, content to live in the moment. Being that sort of man, he wouldn’t understand the real consequences of a future issue. Five can see the way the Klaus is itching for a fix, probably wondering where he’s going to get the next hit from. It’s infuriating. But at the same time, Klaus is also strangely sentimental and considerate when he wants to be. The man contradicted himself on a daily basis and was such an unpredictable person that Five always struggled to make heads or tails of him. This is a difficult case.

“I need you to try and channel Dad.” Five mutters, eyes trained down at the table.

He didn’t want to talk about this so soon. In fact, he didn’t want to ask this at all, but at some point in the previous run, Klaus had claimed he had talked to their dearly departed father. If he could just hear what Reginald had to truly say, maybe…maybe there was something the old man had said to Klaus that could have been deciphered in a different way.

“Already tried that, didn’t go so well.” Klaus mutters, heaving a dramatic sigh as he takes another sloppy bite of the confectionary. “And believe me, I did try this time.”

“It’s because you’re so high all the time that you can’t _focus_ properly. This is a complete waste of time. If you would just take some initiative for once in your life Klaus, you might not have issues about managing them as a grown adult.” Five lectures in agitation, leaning back in his booth with his arms crossed tightly.

“ _Woah_ now! Be careful there shorty, you’re starting to sound like dear old dad.” Klaus frowns, shifting sideways in his seat to lay across his booth. “Though if you have enough energy to lecture me, I guess that means you’re feeling better.” The man grins.

Five isn’t going to apologize for the comment. It’s true. He knows it. Klaus knows it. He shouldn’t have to feel bad about saying that.

He shouldn’t feel bad…

“I’m _nothing_ like him.” He argues petulantly, earning a snort from Klaus.

“I don’t know. You two both seem to have the whole _‘Doing everything behind our backs for reasons we can’t comprehend’_ thing going on.”

“Klaus!” Five snaps, smashing a hand on the table. “I need you to be here, do you understand? I _need_ you to stay at the Academy and be with the family. Stay. There. No joyrides to go out for drugs or bar hopping or whatever worthless pursuits you do at night. This is for your safety, do you understand? Can you comprehend this request?” he bites out, eyes sparking with intensity.

“Well what the hell man! You can’t just expect that of me, I got things to do too.” The man whines, kicking himself back up into a sitting position and levelling Five with an annoyed expression.

“What could you possibly have to do that doesn’t involve getting high or getting drunk?” Five grits out, feeling an agitated smile make its way over his lips.

“Oh _shut up_ , man!” Klaus says after a moment, but he’s not looking at Five, he’s looking at Ben. “God you know what Five? I already have a walking lecture half of the time, I don’t need you to add to it. Ben seems to think you’re being perfectly reasonable though who knows why!” Klaus mutters childishly.

A beat of silence.

“Well why don’t you just go haunt him then if you miss him so much!” Klaus complains, falling back onto the booth with a large flop.

Five massages the headache slowly forming at the bridge of his temples. Amazing how things could start so promising and immediately crash and burn when Klaus is involved.

“Klaus I love you, but for the love of _God_ , you are so fucking useless in these early days.” Five mutters, more to himself than anything.

The other man pops his head above the table in surprise, staring at Five with wide eyes.

“You love me?” he asks, a pleasantly surprised smile sweeping across his face.

Shit.

“Okay. We’re done here.” Five announces, clenching his jaw as he smiles while he slides out of the booth.

“Hey, wait, take it easy.” Klaus urges in worry, quickly stumbling out of his own booth and hovering over Five like a worried parent.

Five stands easily, putting a hand to Klaus’s chest and slowly pushing him out of his space.

“I don’t need you to treat me like a liability. I’m _not_. I’ve done things none of you could _dream_ about.” He mutters acridly, turning to scribble down a tip on the receipt for the waitress.

Klaus just laughs at him.

“Wow you don’t get it at all do you?” the man chuckles breezily.

“Oh, _do_ enlighten me, please.” He drawls in a lazy response, scribbling out a forcibly sloppy signature on the pay stub as he tries to mimic Diego’s signature.

“Five, you basically just came back from the dead, and you look the exact same as you did when you left, man.” Klaus grins, crouching lightly to stare Five in the face. “You’re not a liability, but you’re _my_ brother. Is it just so terrible to think that maybe I’d want to _care_ about you?”

Five inhales, breath catching in his throat as he looks to the side. He doesn’t know why, but the earnest look Klaus is giving him makes it hard to look him in the eye. His hands clench into fists, unable to respond to such a genuine statement.

“I tried to call for you, you know. When you were gone. I thought if I could get Ben then maybe I could-“Klaus starts, giving a thick swallow.

Five feels what breath he had left disappear altogether, slowly turning to look at Klaus with surprise.

“You- _what_? “he starts breathlessly, unable to say anything else.

“I thought initially it’s because you were still alive out there somewhere, then I thought-maybe it was just because you didn’t want me to connect to you. Maybe you didn’t want to talk to me or bother with me, even in death.” His brother laughs dryly, hanging his head for a moment.

Klaus shakes his head. Five is speechless.

“Klaus I- “

“No, no no no, _look_ pal.” The other interrupts with a sigh. “I can’t promise to always be there, or hell, to even say I have my shit together. I’m going to get high. I like to drink and to feel good. Take the edge off, you know? The only thing I can tell you, is that I’ll _try_. If you need me, I’ll try to be there for you.” Klaus promises, looking up to stare Five in the eyes. “Even if that’s with your weird universe saving mumbo jumbo, or a _better_ decision like robbing our brother to eat a shit ton of breakfast, okay?” He smiles, running hand through his disheveled hair, his gaze sincere.

Stunned, Five nods.

“Apocalypse got your tongue?” Klaus grins, tapping Five’s cheek in a playful manner before straightening up, reaching his arms up in a stretch.

Five inhales through his nose, turning to make his way to the bathroom.

“Proud? What are you, my _dad_?” Klaus jokes dryly to the empty air as Five passes. “You insult me, then you support me.” He sighs. “So _ungrateful_ honestly _!_ ”

Closing the door behind him, Five turns the lock. A deep exhale shakily exits his mouth. Everything that Klaus said had thrown him off, again. Entirely too unpredictable. The sincerity from the other man had shocked him the most and Five cannot help but wonder what sparked such a dedicated response. Was it really just because of tonight? He shakes his head, facing the sink. Five shucks Klaus’ jacket off his form, hanging it neatly on the coat hook behind the door. Turning on the water, he stares at the mirror just above the sink, looking at his tired reflection.

He really is just a kid.

Grimacing, he lathers his hands with soap and shoves them under the warm water. It turns pink as the it mixes into the drain, Five scrubbing diligently to remove the now dried blood that had built up on his skin. He manages to wash his arms and hands free of the mess, sneering at the blood on his pristine white collar. That one would take more than just hot water and soap. After a proper wash, he feels much better. He plucks out the tracker in his pocket, tossing it into the garbage with a grimace.

Five attempts to smooth down his wayward hair strands, eventually deeming it a lost cause after several tries. He grabs the coat on the way out, folding it over his arm as he steps back out in the diner. The waitress gives him a friendly wave. She’s familiar. Klaus is laying in the booth again, his legs vertical and up against the wall as he yawns. Five drops the man’s coat onto his dozing face, earning a bewildered muffled shout in response.

He fights down a smile.

“I’m leaving now.” He announces, smoothing out the sleeves of his blazer.

Klaus rolls off of the booth with a curse, stumbling up onto his feet.

“Oh yeah? Okay, well do you- do you have anything you have to do tomorrow you need help with?” he asks, almost strangely earnest.

Oh.

Five looks at his brother with a furrow in his brows. Klaus is lonely, almost desperate for company. This enthusiasm must come from the fact that the man needs to always distract himself, to find something to do to keep his focus away from his addictions.

“Yeah, maybe.” Five answers softly, unable to outright deny his brother after everything they had been through this evening.

Klaus nods, tugging on his coat and patting the pocket to ensure he still has Diego’s wallet.

“Great! Uh great. I’m sure I can manage to find some time in my _busy_ schedule to help out.” He mutters distractedly. “Oh, smart, right. You need money for a cab or something kiddo?”

Five blinks, thanking Ben for his smart suggestions. Minutes later they are standing outside of the diner, the night air cold but refreshing as it softly blows across the streets. Five parts from Klaus with a stiff nod.

“This, was not unpleasant.” He admits awkwardly, pocketing the cash that he had been given.

Klaus is silent for a single second before he barks out a loud laugh, shaking his head and seeming utterly endeared by Five’s dialogue. “You are so _adorable_.” Immediately throwing up his hands in surrender when Five glares at him. “You can just say you had a good time.” He grins easily, hazel eyes soft in fondness.

Five scoffs, pushing open a warp and disappearing in a flash of blue light.

“No, I don’t think so.” Klaus murmurs with a resigned smile to the lonely wind. “I know, I know. I told you I’d try didn’t I?”

The frigid evening breeze sways softly in answer.

The trip to Vanya’s isn’t terribly out of the way, but having a cab drive him was certainly quicker than going by foot. Five nods in quiet thanks to the driver, shoving proper payment at him as he gets out, looking up at the small apartment complex. He wastes no time climbing the stairs and warping inside, familiar with the location of Vanya’s apartment to warp once more once he’s inside the hall. His feet land in her living room, the darkness all encompassing. She must already be in bed. Five took longer to arrive at her apartment due to being sidetracked with Klaus. With a sigh, he moves blindly in the dark, reaching out for the lamp by the chair he already knows the location of. His fingers bump the cold metal, hovering up to feel the switch and turning it on with a twist. The room is engulfed in a warm yellow light, giving off a feeling of domestic nights and tea before bed.

He isn’t going to wake Vanya. They can speak plenty in the morning now that he knows he doesn’t need to track down the recipient of the glass eye. He moves over to her bookshelf, idly browsing her book collection. With a sigh he turns away, digging through her drawers to look for paper to write on. He plucks a pen that’s resting idly on some music sheets, making due with a couple of crinkled extra sheets of paper that had been in her junk drawer. Sitting down on the chair, Five starts scribbling out equations for the space time continuum jump on a piece of wrinkled piece of paper. This time, he’d make sure the equations weren’t wrong. He gets through one piece of paper both front and back of the sheet, numbers crammed in the margins every which way. At some point during the third sheet of scribbles the night the numbers blur together and his limbs feel heavy.

He rouses from his sleep to a gentle hand brushing softly through the front strands of his hair, the sweet smell of tea settling in the room. He inhales it in, taking in all of the little comforts of the apartment.

“I thought I was dreaming for a second when I came out into the living room.” Vanya’s steady voice murmurs gently beside him. “I always used to think that one day, I’d come back and you’d just be here eating a sandwich or-reading a book or something.”

Her voice is like a gentle stream of water, soothing and calming Five’s nerves. Even as he cracks his eyes open and sees her standing over him, feeling her hand on his cheek, he can’t help but feel relieved to see his sister. Being vulnerable for her was never as difficult as it was with his other siblings.

“Guess it’s today then.” He replies, voice raspy with lingering exhaustion.

She quirks a hesitant smile, looking down at the sheets that had slipped off of his lap in the night. “I guess so.” She mutters, exhaling out a small laugh.

She steps away from him, respecting his space and bending down to scoop up his papers. Vanya sets them on the table and moves over to sit on the end of couch to face him. With an exhale, Five pushes himself up from where he had fallen asleep slumped in the crook of the chair, rolling out his aching shoulder. Luckily, being young had its merits as well.  Sleeping in uncomfortable positions were easy to bounce back from at this age. Small victories.

“Oh, here. It’s tea with honey. You look stressed, even in your sleep.” She offers, holding up a teacup and saucer for him.

“Would prefer coffee.” He retorts, but accepts the offering anyways.

“I really missed you Five.” Vanya whispers, brown eyes solemn.

She looks tired. Her shoulders seem to droop down with some sort of invisible weight and Five knows it’s the resignation and lack of self-esteem that was drilled into her as a child. He had failed her so very terribly. He wasn't there for her when she needed it all those years. His childish behavior had such a high cost. He sips his tea, closing his eyes as the warmth envelops his body, trying to not let the regret drown him. He takes a moment to just breathe, listening to the sounds of the creaking old wood and the muffled city noises from outside.

“I…" he's at a loss. "I missed you too Vanya.” He confesses back finally, looking up at her and unable to keep the hurt and regret out of his out of his eyes.

She moves, reaching out to him with needy hands. Five watches as she hesitates in her approach, self-conscious and scared to hope he wouldn’t reject her. He idly shoves the tea onto the nearest surface, meeting her halfway and wrapping his arms around her in response. Five closes his eyes, refusing to let his emotions control him as she hugs him tightly. He hears her give a shaky exhale, clutching to him a bit tighter as if he might just disappear between her fingers if she didn’t. His jaw clenches, blinking down the tears that threatened to spill.

His sister is not a monster.

The honey she added to his tea lingers on his tongue.  Five contemplates the warmth running through his nerves, and knows that the tea has nothing to do with it. Vanya though, has everything to do with it. He would remember his moment, a little pocket of time for himself with gentle hands and the sweetness on his tongue. With desperate comforts and soft sunlight streaming through the window.

This he could have. This he could remember always.

He wouldn’t leave her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :' )


	5. I. Fugue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Five realizes he doesn't know how to do emotions.

“I know you’re not going to believe me, but I need to tell you this. It’s very important Vanya.” Five says after the two eventually parted from their embrace.

Vanya furrows her brows, taking a sip of her own tea and settling back into the couch.

“When I jumped forward in time I…” he starts, trailing off in tired frustration.

He rubs at his temples, not knowing where to go with this. Sure, he could explain it once again in the hopes that she would actually believe him and process it this time around. He didn’t know what to do about her powers. Does he reveal it to her? Would she be willing to try and practice to get it under control? Is it safer for her to not know?

He doesn’t want to lie to Vanya, but he also doesn’t want to invite her to embrace some of the darkness that their childhood left with her.

“It’s okay Five.” Vanya encourages to him softly. “I know you’ve been…through a lot.”

“Yes, I suppose I have.” He agrees. “But that’s rather irrelevant to the situation at hand.” He drawls, removing his hand from his face. “Vanya, when I jumped in time, I came out on the other side to an apocalypse. I spent a lifetime there trying to figure out how to get back to you all, how to figure it all out. I was so young.  Dad was right about how time travel was unpredictable. It took me so long to figure out the equations, and in the end, well, it looks like I still didn’t perfect them.” He mutters, gesturing to his blazer.

“I don’t understand. Are you saying that-that the world is going to end?” Vanya asks in disbelief, setting down her tea mug.

“In eight days. Well…seven I suppose.” He corrects himself tiredly with a shake of his head.

There’s silence. Five grits his teeth, eying his haphazard scrawl on the papers he was writing on last night. Vanya sits back in her seat, trying to comprehend the severity of her sibling’s explanation.

“Look Five if, if you need a place to stay, you’re always welcome here for as long as you want.” Is eventually what she ends up saying.

“You don’t believe me.” He drawls expectantly, trying to ignore the stab of hurt that comes even the second time around.

“No I-it’s just a lot to take in.” she argues weakly, tucking a dark chocolate strand of hair behind her ear in a self-conscious habit.

He shakes his head, learning forward in his seat to level her with an intent stare.

“Vanya. At some point in these next few days, you’re going to meet someone. A man. His name is Leonard. I need you to promise me that even if you don’t believe me, you won’t talk to him. That you won’t associate with him in the slightest.” He requests, trying not order it from her outright, but making it very clear that this was serious to him.

He’s nervous. He’s nervous that he will somehow miss Vanya meeting Leonard and by the time he tries to do something about it, that it will already be too late again. He was so in the dark about Vanya’s life the first time around due to his distractions, he can’t mess this up again.

“I-Five…” she trails off, sighing in resignation.

He knows she feels out of her depth here, not knowing how to respond. It must be hard to try and support someone who might not be in their right state of mind. Clearly, she doesn’t think he entirely coherent.  He inhales, hesitantly placing his hand over the top of her on that rests on the couch arm rest, trying to infuse as much genuine intent he can into his next statement.

“ _Please_ , Vanya.” He asks, his pale eyes meeting her own dark ones.

Unable to deny him when he’s doing his best to try and be open with her, she quickly covers his hand with her free one in an attempt to comfort him.

“Okay. Okay I won’t. If it’ll make you feel better I won’t, even if it doesn’t really make sense.” She promises, and Five feels relief pour through his body.

“Good.” He nods, feeling as if now there is finally a gigantic improvement in the time line.

He doesn't want to talk about Leonard to her. He doesn't want to tell her about what sort of man he was. He doesn't want to say anything that might make her catch onto the fact that she brought the devastation of the earth the first time. Her guilt doesn't need to exist due to a previous timeline where she had been manipulated by a person who she thought she could open her heart to. That wasn't fair. That _isn't_ fair.

“Five, if you ever need someone to talk to. I mean-maybe I’m not quite the right person. I could recommend someone to you. I mean, I saw someone for a while…” she offers.

Five knows her heart is in the right place as she suggests for him to see a therapist, but it’s agitating all the same. He’s not psychotic and he’s not imagining any of this. He can’t be. He just can’t be. Five wonders if she was just humoring him when she agreed to his request.

“Thanks, but I don’t think that will be necessary.”

She nods, as if she expected he wouldn’t agree to the idea.

“Okay. Just know that the offer is always there, okay?” he says with a ghost of a smile, returning to her tea.

He dimly nods in response.

Five doesn’t know how to feel about the scenario at hand. Even now his mind keeps returning to the idea of just telling her everything. Leonard’s manipulation. Her powers. Her darkness of mind when she fully embraced them. The failed jump back in time. Five can’t help but wonder if his honesty this time around, his attempts at trying to connect to her more is actually doing him more harm than good. Is she simply pacifying him because she thinks he’s young and traumatized? It’s clear she doesn’t entirely believe him. He doesn’t know why it’s so hard to believe after growing up in extraordinary circumstances. Maybe Vanya feels as if she’s moved past that life and is content to simply be…

“You’re not _ordinary_ Vanya.” He says suddenly, breaking the silence.

She looks at him confused, tired eyes tightening in a past hurt that might never heal. A word that had been ingrained into her mind for her entire life. A word that still haunts her like a lingering scar.

“What?”

“I just-nothing.” He fumbles, panics.

This is hard for him.

“Nothing, I need to go. I’ll be back later if that’s acceptable.” He says, getting up from his seat.

“Five wait- “Vanya calls with a frown.

“I’ll be back a bit later Vanya.” He repeats in a promise, stepping through time and disappearing in a flash of blue.

Shit.

“ _Shit._ ” He breathes, clutching at his hair in frustration, his feet touching the outside concrete.

He walks along the sidewalk, taking in deep inhales and trying to calm his beating heart. He was so bad at this. All of this knowledge and he still can’t manage to get anything right because the real skills he needs are the ones he lacks. Running a hand through his hair, he continues his venture through the city. He’d return to the house for now, see what siblings are still milling about. He needs a drink. That’s a better idea. One cab ride later, he slips onto the familiar pavement, looking up at the tall building of his childhood home. Five doesn’t go through the main door, choosing to move over to the side alley to sneak in a subtler way. He would anyways if it hadn’t been blocked off by police tape. Right.

“Hey kiddo!” Rings a voice causing him to jump in alarm, whirling around to the source.

Klaus grins at him, twiddling his fingers in greeting as he looks at the crime scene along with Five. He’s surprisingly wearing different clothes from last night, meaning at some point he probably passed out and actually changed when he got up.

“Klaus.” He greets amiably, eying one of the detectives milling about.

“Looks like things got a little crazy last night, I wonder what could have caused such a gruesome fight!”  the man asks, putting a dramatic hand to his chest. “Truly ghastly. Not great for me though, I really sort of needed to check the dumpster back there.” The man winces.

Five looks up at him for moment, trying to dissect his last sentence but ultimately failing. Strangely, Diego is also milling around the scene, chatting up a female detective who seems less than willing to hear him out. Eventually she grabs him by the ear, pulling him down and very likely telling him to leave. Clearly this was his sibling’s friend he had mentioned in the previous time line from the way Diego’s eyes soften around her and his lips tilt up in that hint of a smile. The one that was shot by Hazel and Cha-Cha. Another thing he’d need to make sure to fix in this time. Eventually Diego is stepping away. As he ducks under the crime tape and looks up, he meets his sibling’s eyes. There’s a brief moment of frozen surprise before the man’s eyes turn murderous. He straightens up, making a war path right towards them with a snarl already forming on his lips.

“Oh _shit_.” Klaus breathes. “He totally knows.” He lets out a nervous giggle.

Ah right, the wallet. On second thought the front entrance would be just fine by his standards. Then suddenly Klaus is grabbing his wrist and tugging, sprinting back around to the front entrance as he drags Five along with him. Five tugs his wrist out of the man’s hand in exasperation, not wanting to get involved with his brother’s thievery consequences. Though in a way, he certainly doesn’t regret doing it, and even went along with it with a small amount of satisfaction. The man pushes open the door quickly, ushering Five inside with panicked giddy laughs.

Dammit fine, he’d help.

“Get the _fuck_ back here Klaus!” Diego shouts from the sidewalk.

Klaus does no such thing, turning to shove the door closed behind him and locking the door. He whirls around, eyes panicked and body bouncing with adrenaline.

“Okay! Okay okay! Should I just leave the wallet on the table and disappear for a bit? Is that the best option to not get gutted? What do you think Five? Any suggestions buddy?” Klaus asks, his hands moving into a praying pose.

“Don’t worry Klaus.” Five sighs, holding his hand out in demand of the wallet.

Klaus doesn’t hesitate, digging into his coat pocket and quickly offering it up to Five with a sweaty palm. Five lazily drifts into the sitting room immediately heading for the bar. He points to one of the bottles of fine whiskey on the top shelf, giving Klaus an expectant look.

“Okay, okay.” Klaus nods, using his height to reach up on the shelf and pull it down.

Five busies himself by grabbing out drink glasses, sliding them on the table. He places the wallet on the bar, turning around and making his way back over to the entrance. Unlocking the door, he opens it himself just in time to see a fuming Diego pull back his fist.

“Don’t break the door.” He chides, opening the door wider in invitation.

The casual behavior causes Diego’s anger to simmer briefly in confusion, the man eventually stepping inside as he gives Five a cautious look. Five watches as Diego puckers his mouth in angry frustration, dark eyes darting back and forth for any sign of Klaus. The man fumes, stocking around the open room like an angry child.

“I know he took my fucking wallet.”

“He did.” Five agrees.

“Motherfucker.” Diego seethes, looking around the area.

“How about a drink?” he offers, gesturing towards the bar. “I have your wallet right here.”

“What?” Diego asks in bewilderment, following the shorter into the second room.

True enough, the wallet is sitting innocently on the bar along with a couple glasses of whiskey ready for consumption. Five fights down a smirk, wondering if Klaus decided to hide behind the bar just in case. Diego sighs in relief, swiping his wallet back and immediately opening it. Apparently, he finds nothing to be out of place, suspiciously glancing at Five before he pockets it underneath his harness. Five has already seated himself at the bar, taking a long sip of his father’s fine whiskey. It burns as it goes down. After a beat of silence, Diego sits down too, partaking in the alcohol as well.

“We can pay you back.” Five mutters. “Or rather I will, because Klaus has no sense of responsibility.”

“Oh please, I know you didn’t steal it Five, this has the idiot’s prints all over it.” Diego scoffs in response, knocking the glass back in agitated gumption.

“He did it for me. So, in a way I can be held responsible.” He explains, turning to look at Diego. “He was worried for my…wellbeing, so he unfortunately went overboard in using your card to buy food and a cab for me.” Five explains calmly, pouring himself another glass.

Though whether Klaus continued to use the card for his evening pursuits, Five didn’t know. He hopes the man has enough common sense to have not, but Klaus had been holding quite a sum of cash at the end of the night, presumably for drugs. Diego side eyes him, dark brown eyes flicking up and down his form once. There is still plenty of dried blood on his clothing, staining his dark blazer. He’d need to change soon.

“You’re fine though?” his brother asks eventually.

“Thanks to him, unfortunately.” Five sighs. “What I’m trying to say is, he actually did it in an attempt to be helpful, so if you could not gut him, that would be ideal.”

Diego mulls it over, apparently actually needing time to think about it before he rolls his eyes and takes a hardy chug of whiskey. He slams the glass down in agitation, gloved fingers tapping on the rim of it.

“Whatever. Shouldn’t be surprised in the first place.” He mutters with a sneer.

“That is so _touching_ , I’m so glad we can all be on the same page here.” Klaus sighs dreamily, poking his head out from behind the bar and lounging his arms on top of it.

Five rolls his eyes as Diego pulls out a knife and immediately throws it at the top of other man’s head. Klaus gives a startled yelp, falling backwards and off of the bar in a thud of clanging bottles and a rumble of the shelves.

“If you take my wallet again, I’m not going to miss.” Diego threatens.

“Well when you see your credit card bill, you _might_ not be so forgiving in the first place so really-” Klaus laughs from the floor, not helping his case in the slightest.

Temper fully blown once again, Diego slams his hands on the bar, pushing off of his seat. Five shakes his head in exasperation, quickly kicking out the man’s bar stool from below him. His temperamental sibling flails at suddenly having nothing to keep his weight on, falling backwards with a shout and landing on the floor in a sprawl of limbs.

Diego groans from the floor. Klaus giggles, voice muffled from his own fall.

“I’m surrounded by idiots.” Five muses.

“What’s going on in here?” booms a voice from the doorway.

Luther steps into the room with a frown, Allison peeking in after him in curiosity. Five can see Luther’s gaze switch from looking at Diego’s fallen form to him sipping at his third glass of whiskey.

“Sibling bonding!” rings the voice of Klaus from behind the bar, still out of sight laying lazily on the floor.

“What?” Luther blinks, disbelief lining his features as he leans to the side in an attempt to find Klaus.

“Sibling bonding.” Five agrees dully, knocking his glass back.

“Sibling bonding.” Diego surprisingly muffles from carpet. “So go away.”

“Oh no.” Allison says, slipping past Luther into the room. “I want in on this.” She mutters, casually stepping over Diego’s fallen form and taking a seat at the bar.

Five slides her the bottle of whiskey which she grabs with ease, pouring herself a full glass on the rocks. The liquid inside illuminates a golden colour as the sunlight shines through the bottle. Five thinks they all have problems that a little whiskey might help fix, or at least dull the edges a bit. 

“Sibling bonding.” She announces dryly, knocking her own drink back.

Five bites back an amused smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi klaus, good to see you again pal! lol man, having so many siblings in one room is just a disaster. Sorry this one might feel a bit shorter guys, lots of dialogue so it tends to move a bit quicker. I'll try and make it up to you next time? :') Thank you for all of your comments, as I've said, they REALLY help motivate me to help pump out the chapters.
> 
> I think I might try and wait a little longer before putting out another chapter just to let some of these get the proper screen time they deserve and to get feedback on the ones I have so far. I dont want to rush through it.


	6. I. Beat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Five realizes that his siblings can't actually handle the truth.

“Well. How convenient we should all be in the same room.” Five announces after he takes a last sip of whiskey. “I believe a chat is in order.”

Five figures while most of them are liquored up, he might as well try this again. Turning in his seat, he leans back against the bar table, eying up Luther, Allison, and Diego in front of him. Klaus has decided to drape across the bar table behind him, content to look up at the ceiling and doze in and out.

Luther frowns, crossing his arms. “This again.” He starts, earning an agitated smile from Five in response.

“You said we could talk later.” He grins sharply, all teeth and no kindness.

“It _is_ later, gotta give him that.” Klaus retorts breezily, flopping an arm across his face with a tired sigh.

“Okay.” Luther relents in agreement, a man of his word. “Five, you have the floor. We’re all listening.” He says with a nod, standing tall in attention.

“It’s about Vanya.” Five starts.

Diego snorts, running an agitated hand through his hair. The man takes out one of his blades, twirling it around in his fingers, a mulish expression on his face.

“Right. Vanya. Now is there a reason we’re supposed to care Five? She fucked us over.” He mutters. “Whatever you have to say about her isn’t something I’m particularly interested about I’ll tell you that right now.”

Allison remains quiet, eyes troubled. She hugs herself, hands clutching at her arms in contemplation.

“I feel like that might not be very fair to say to her. She lived an entirely different life than us Diego, but she was our sibling. She was an outcast.” She muses.

“She _is_ our sibling.” Five corrects in agitation.

Allison looks up at Five, her eyes shining with a mixture of uncertainty and guilt. She’s the easiest to sway and Five knew this just from the previous run. Unlike the rest of his siblings, Allison at least tried to connect with Vanya and make up for some of the lost time. In her own way. She failed terribly, but her attempts started with the right reasons.

“Big deal, we all have our own shit to take care of because of our terrible childhood. Vanya isn’t special because she has self-esteem issues.” Diego scoffs, levelling Five with a sardonic smirk. “Nah nah, she’s just special because instead of dealing with it like an adult, she wrote a book talking about every single one of us and how fucked up in the head we are. That’s pretty fair to blame her trauma on children, don’t you think?” he asks, the heat in his voice only rising with every word.

“She’s our sibling, and she has _powers_.” Five interrupts, finally dropping the bomb.

The silence afterwards is tense, each one of his siblings trying to digest that sentence in their own personal way. Luther closes his eyes, brow furrowing as he tries to comprehend what Five just said. Shaking his head, he levels Five with a pitying look.

Five wants to sock him in the face.

“Look Five. I think I can speak for all of us- “

“You _can’t_.” Diego interjects.

“-when I say that we’re happy you’re back, and that you’re okay.” Luther continues, taking a step forward. “But the things you’ve been saying are just- “he trails off, hovering out a supportive hand to Fives shoulder. “They’re just a bit crazy Five. You know what dad always said about time travel…how damaging it can be to the mind.”

Five catches his wrist, clenching it tightly with a gritted jaw. He was so sick of this argument constantly being thrown in his face. Time travel is dangerous for one’s mind and sanity. As if he didn’t know that. As if he didn’t live through the consequences of a jump gone wrong. He isn’t crazy.

He isn’t.

“Diego’s friend is named Patch.” He bites out, releasing Luther’s wrist harshly away from him.

“What-how do you know that?” Diego jerks his head up in curious caution.

“Allison has a daughter named Claire.” Five continues.

“You, know about Claire?” Allison asks softly, her eyes tender with emotion.

“And Number One, your stupid mission to the moon was completely- “he clenches his jaw.

No. Not that.

“Dad killed himself.” He presses instead. “He killed himself to bring us all together again, because he knew that without something big, that we’d _never_ reunite.” Five says harshly, laying it all bare. “He knows we need to be together to stop the apocalypse.”

“No. No that’s not possible.” Luther says in immediate denial. “He wasn’t- “

“It _is_ possible! It’s possible because it _happened_.”

“No. I _know_ something else happened to him. He told me- “Luther interjects.

“ _Luther!_ ” Five shouts, temper flared. “It’s not about you, or your frivolous pursuits on the moon! It’s not about you, or me, or-or _any_ of you!” he barks harshly to his siblings, slipping off his seat. “It’s about Vanya. Our _sister_. It’s about her because she has immense power and we need to _help her_ otherwise the entire world as we know it is going to cease to _exist_. Do you understand this?”

“What were you going to say?” Luther asks after a moment of silence.

Five looks up at his looming sibling with agitated bewilderment, a hand automatically running a hand through his hair.

“What?” he asks in exasperation.

“You said my mission to the moon was… _something_ , and then you didn’t finish your sentence.” The man asks.

“How are you managing to make this about you man?” Diego laughs. “After all this, and you’re still just asking about yourself? How about you be concerned for our brother or something? He’s been sneaking around poking his nose in things he shouldn’t be and getting into all sorts of trouble because of his…beliefs.” He mutters, eying Five with caution.

Concerned?

“I don’t need you to be concerned about me, I need you to be _concerned_ about Vanya. What part of I’m from the _future_ do you not _understand_?” Five asks in disbelief, his emotions all over the place. “I’ve already been here once and now I’m trying to prevent it from happening again.”

“And what exactly do you mean by that Five?” Allison chimes in, skepticism lining her tone. “You’ve already been here? What does that mean? Why didn’t we stop the apocalypse the first time then?”

Five looks down at his feet for a moment, clenching his jaw as an infuriated smile forces its way onto his lips. God they were all so maddening. How many times did he have to say he’s from the future? How many times did he need to explain he already knows what’s going to happen?

How many times did he need to somehow convince them that he wasn’t insane?

“When I jumped forward in time, I found your bodies.” He starts once more, swallowing thickly. “You all tried to fight the apocalypse, and failed. After I managed to transport back to the present, I realized it was eight days until the apocalypse and I tried to figure out who was the source of such cause. I didn’t have as much information as I do now, but in the end, I transported us all back in time to when we were young. This was because Vanya is the source of the apocalypse, and travelling back to our childhood would be the best way to figure out how to make it so we could do it right this time.”

He grimaces. “Or at least, I _tried_. Instead, I’m here again, the same day as when I initially transported back in time.” He explains heavily, sick of dropping large amounts of information at a time only to be disregarded.

“So why didn’t it work then?” Allison presses.

“I don’t _know_ , I suppose the equations were off… _again_.” He begrudgingly grits out.

“Right so what, you want us to band together annnnd what?” Diego asks, throwing a hand out in question. “Like let’s say we’re all on board, like what do you even want us to _do_ man?”

“There is a man who goes by Leonard Peabody. He is the trigger of the apocalypse, and Vanya is the gun. He’s going to try and manipulate her to take revenge against all of us, but in the end, it destroys everything. The world. Vanya needs our help, _not_ just with keeping him away from her, but with having other people to _be_ there for her. Her _family_. We can teach her how to control her powers, we are the only ones who can. Who else is like us?” Five urges to the others.

“And that’s somehow supposed to stop the apocalypse? Playing house with Vanya?” Diego scoffs, shaking his head.

Klaus groans, massaging his temples.

“This is just a lot to take in, y’know?” the disheveled man complains. “ _Look_ , look look, maybe we should all sit down and drink some more. We almost acted like a family for a moment there, it was nice, wasn’t it?” He laughs unsteadily, turning on his side and cradling the bottle of whiskey.

“Wait, you said you tried to transport us all back to our childhood?” Allison reiterates softly.

“Yes.” Five nods. “It was the only way to prevent- “

“No.” Allison interrupts, looking at him with a severe gaze.

It takes everything in him to not outright balk at the woman, her rejection one of the last possibilities he had expected in this conversation. Five stares at her for a moment, her brown eyes staring him down serious with her conviction.

“ _What_?” he asks in angry disbelief.

“I said no, Five. How could you even think I’d agree to that? I-I have a _child_!” she exclaims, throwing out her hands. “How could you think I’d agree to-to just-to not have my own kid exist on a gamble of time?” she chokes, eyes watering at the mere thought of Claire not existing in her life.

Five stares at her, his mouth lightly open in disbelief. Slowly, he turns around back to the bar, yanking the bottle out of Klaus’s grip. He snorts in detached amusement, unable to truly believe that this conversation has tilted in such a direction.

“Well she won’t be alive for very long then _will she_ , because of the _apocalypse_ , in case you forgot.” he informs her blankly, beginning to pour himself another glass. “Which apparently all of you keep doing so.”

Luther’s hand grabs the bottle of whiskey away from him.

“I think you’ve had enough.” The first brother informs him stoically.

Five can see the protective flare in Luther’s eyes, knowing the comments to Allison spurned the man into action. He nods idly in empty agreement for a moment, allowing him to take the bottle. Five’s hand curls around the tumbler instead, the cold glass soothing the cut on his hand. With a jerk, he hurls it at a wall in a childish fit of anger, the glass shattering and shards flying on the floor. Klaus startles, barely catching himself before he falls off of the bar table while Five whirls around to his other siblings with bared teeth.

“You are all so _fucking_ selfish. Maybe it was a miracle it even happened at all the first time.” He mutters with a miserable smile, poison coating every word that comes out of his mouth.

He walks out of the room with his anger clawing to be let out and his nails clenching so hard into his palms that they bleed. None of them try and stop him. He fumes, throwing himself through a warp up into his room, slamming the door shut and locking it. His hands automatically go up to clutch at his hair, squeezing tightly in rage that he refuses to release fully. Eventually his hands drop, Five giving an angry exhale before wrenching open his closet and taking out a clean uniform. He moves into the bathroom, giving himself a quick wash down, especially scrubbing at his hands thoroughly in frustration. His hands are pink with agitation from the heat of the water when he’s done. After dressing in a clean uniform, he glares at his reflection, wet hair still causing droplets to plop onto the bathroom floor. The urge to punch the mirror is all-encompassing, but he refuses. It'd be a worthless pursuit. He combs through his strands of hair, allowing himself to focus on his breathing. As he styles it to its immaculate form, his mind runs through the scenario downstairs with rapid vivacity. Clearly, it had been a mistake to drop the truth on them.

Now they all think he’s just unstable and irrevocably scarred from his time travel error.

Warping back into his room, Five sits on his bed, trying to ignore the roar of sound in his ears. He’s angry, rightfully so. But being justified about it didn’t make him any less angry. The mistakes downstairs might have truly done some damage on this time line. What if now he had somehow made it worse? What if he’s ruined the chance for them to actually come together at the end? He doesn’t realize he’s breathing harshly until there’s a knock at his door.

“Don’t bother.” He snarls. “You’re all a waste of my _time!_ ”

His fingers ache with energy, the need to do something filling his mind. Five is picking up the chalk before he can give it another thought, kneeling on his bed and desperately writing out equations upon equations. Math is logical. Math always has solutions.

The knocks continue.

“Aw come on Five, I know that didn’t go very great but can’t you let your good ole’ pals in?” Klaus’ muffled voice rings through the door.

The writing pace lessens in tenacity, Five blinking at the sloppy scrawling across the wall with a numb detachment. His hand trembles and he wills himself to forcibly exhale, chalk dropping from his grip. He slips off the bed silently, unlocking the door and opening it in resignation.

“So. Not your best moment.” Klaus greets with a breezy chuckle as he strolls in.

“What do you want.” He asks dully, a weariness enveloping his bones.

He’s tired. He’s just so tired.

Klaus pauses, twirling around no his feet to give him a once over, a frown tugging at his lips.

“What are you up to in here?” Klaus asks innocently, staring at his walls of writing.

Five shakes his head, not in the mood to deal with this particular brand of crazy at the moment. He turns, moving back towards his bed, picking up the chalk again.

“Hey.” Klaus calls. “It’s okay bud, I’m sure you’ll get them to believe you soon!” the man chirps encouragingly.

Five grits his teeth, his grip tightening on the chalk. He writes faster.

“Then we can go back to our old days of crime fighting and making dear old dad stare in bland apathetic acceptance! It’ll be great!” Klaus rambles, gesturing his hands in circular movements as he walks around Five’s room. "Oh wait, disregard the dad part-"

“Klaus, what do you want?” Five asks, leaning forward to focus on the numbers.

The other man looks sheepish, clearing his throat loudly as he gazes around the room. His gaze locks onto Five’s hand, still lightly shaking with emotion and that raw concern flickers in his eyes before he covers it up with a light-hearted smile.

“I want to spend _quality_ time with my brothers.” he grins.

“Well there are two downstairs, and one that is currently right beside you” Five mutters, not even counting himself in the equation as he stares at his numbers.

If he could manage to transport himself into a form that exists between all alternate realities, he could certainly do it for his siblings too. Since he initially transported himself back into his thirteen-year-old body, maybe there was some possible way to reverse-engineer that calculation to apply to all of them? He needed more. More, more, more. He needed more variables, more outcomes, more possibilities. The fate of the world might rest on these numbers, why couldn’t he get this right?

A hand on his rapidly writing wrist jerks him out of his thoughts.

“Hey, Five, it’s really gunna be okay.” Klaus promises him softly, his hand strangely steady on top of his own shaking one.

He hadn’t realized his numbers had slowly dissolved into almost nonsensical scribbles as he continued. He numbly stares at the wall. Five exhales, pulling his wrist away from Klaus’ hand, cradling it to his chest. He just didn’t know where he had gone wrong. How had the truth been the wrong way to go about this and what would be the consequences? What permanent damage has he done? What sort of fate has he doomed everyone to?

There’s ash falling from the ceiling.

And suddenly he’s back there.

The smoke rests in his lungs like a poison. His knees are scraped raw, his bones ache, and his skin feels fevered because of the heat. It’s always so hot. There’s nothing out here. There’s nothing but ash, corpses, and rubble. This is the future, this would be all of their futures. The air tastes like smoke, dust, and the colour crimson.

_“Hey-Hey eyes on me, bud.”_

His body is shaking. It’s not surprising. He’s tired, he’s always tired. So much walking for absolutely nothing. There’s nothing out here anywhere. He can’t breathe.

_“Kiddo, come back-you’re not there.”_

Is he not?

Cool thin hands land on his cheek. They feel like ice in comparison to the heat, surprisingly gentle and kind. That’s not right. There was nothing kind about the place he’s in. Nothing. Five blinks and instead of ruins leading into nothing, he’s staring into Klaus’ worried face.

Oh god, maybe he is crazy.

Panicked, he jerks backwards on his bed, kicking his socked feet in an aggressive struggle to detach himself from Klaus.

“ _Shit!_ Five, hey-stop. It’s okay, it’s _okay!_ ” Klaus promises earnestly, trying to dodge around his sibling’s flailing limbs, holding up his hands in a surrendering gesture.

“Get out!” he screams, voice hoarse for reasons he doesn’t understand.

Klaus looks lost, helplessly looking over to the side. After a moment he nods, looking back to Five with determined concern. The man reaches over, ignoring Five’s protests and attempts to fight his way out of any sort of contact.

His entire world freezes when Klaus envelops him in a hug.

“It’s okay. I’m here. Remember? I said I’d try and I’m-I’m here.” Klaus murmurs, face close to his ear as the other hugs him.

Five trembles, shakily moving his hands up but hovering around his brother’s form in helpless confusion. What does he do. What does he do? One of Klaus’ hands move to the back of his head, petting some of the still damp strands with gentle care. A hug. An embrace. Why was he so lost at what to do? This sort of gentle comfort. He didn’t understand it.

He crumbles.

His hands clutch at the man’s coat tightly, a violent shiver wracking his body as he pushes himself further into his brother’s embrace. Five buries his forehead into his brother’s chest, a shuddering exhale leaving his body. His breaths are choppy and hard to control, so he focuses on his brother’s heartbeat and the way the man holds onto him tightly. He allows himself to be held, taking in the familiar scent of cologne and nicotine Klaus always seems to carry with him. He doesn't mind. 

“You don’t believe me either.” He mutters hoarsely after catching his breath, his hands gripping the coat tighter.

“Hey, I do believe you.” Klaus retorts, running a hand down his back. “You’re the only one who hears me out, even if you don’t always take me seriously, figure the least I could do is believe you back, right?” And Five can hear the smile in his brother’s voice.

Five nods, feeling small.

Eventually Klaus pulls back, giving Five an earnest smile.

“You okay shorty?”

“I’m, _fine_. You can leave now.” Five says neutrally, trying to push down the wave of horror and embarrassment that is flooding through his veins.

Vulnerability like that will get him killed.

“Where’d you go to?”

Five shakes his head. He doesn’t want to talk about it. Klaus nods in understanding, patting his knees before standing up from the bed.

“You should put on your shoes and then we can sneak down and raid the kitchen.” Klaus suggests, stretching out his limbs with a tired groan. “I could go for some food about now, tummy’s getting a little rumbly.”

Five glances back to the writing on the walls, staring at it with uncertainty. His hands unconsciously tighten around the comforter, twisting up the fabric.

“I should get to work on these.” He says, trying to push down the regret in his voice.

He didn’t want to be stuck in this room full of numbers. He wanted to be with Klaus and Ben eating lunch. He wanted to be with Vanya, listening to her play the violin. He wanted, he wanted-

It doesn’t matter what he wants.

“Okay, no pressure.” Klaus says with an unaffected air, but he eyes Five as if he wants to say more. “Think there might be coffee down there actually.” He tries the bribe shamelessly.

“I’m not sure that’s relevant at the moment.”

Klaus nibbles on his lip, eying the door with hesitation. Five can see when the man turns to listen to something Ben is saying. It makes him feel oddly self-conscious.

“Ben thinks you should come down and eat with us because he doesn’t want you to _pass out_ again.” Klaus grins, turning to look at Five with a playful challenge in his eyes. “When’d you eat last?”

“Last night.” He confesses begrudgingly, knowing neither of them would consider tea to be food.

“ _Bingo!_ You need to get some food in you. A proper lunch for strong growing boys! All that drinking and no food? That’s a migraine waiting to happen, believe me I'd know.” Klaus urges as he turns. “Wait, why did no one question that downstairs? I should be more responsible.” He rambles with a laugh, a weight lifted from his shoulders as he unlocks Five’s door and opens it wide.

Five shakes his head, toeing on his formal shoes. He crouches down, tying them tightly in perfect loops.

“After you ma petite crêpe.” Klaus announces in a terrible French accent.

"Call me a small pancake again and I'll _make_ you into one Klaus." Five threatens blandly, shaking his head. 

He doesn’t know why Klaus seems to be clinging to him so much this time around, but Five can’t bring himself to mind so terribly much. He glances up at his sibling as he passes, allowing himself a rare smile in gratitude to his brother before he steps out into the hallway. It sounds like Klaus chokes in response, Five turning around in confusion to glance at his sibling with a raised eyebrow. Klaus is biting down on his knuckles, looking at Five like he just hung the moon. Seeing Five’s focus on him he grins widely, quickly trailing along behind him.

“To lunch!” he declares.

Five rolls his eyes, turning back around to push down a smile.

"Oh my god I know Ben, I _know_  ." Klaus whispers excitedly behind him, voice high with tender fondness. 

At least he has Klaus and Ben.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Psyche! I don't do waiting if I'm motivated by all of your kind comments!
> 
> But OUCHIE. From 'tentative hope' to 'wow that crashed and burned quickly'. Can we just call out klaus, MVP of this chapter? I'm excited to see what you guys think of this one, I feel some important things happened in regards to the development with certain siblings.


	7. I. White Noise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Five loses his purpose

Five is in the middle of eating a fluffernutter sandwich when Klaus drops an apple down in front of him.

“An apple a day keeps the apocalypse away! Courtesy of Ben so you better eat it, short stack.” Klaus grins, moseying around the kitchen to root through the cupboards.

“You _know_ I’m 58 years old, right Klaus?” Five asks, raising his eyebrow. “I know I’ve mentioned this to you.”

“Oh, pish posh _old man_. See? That’s not any better. If you’re trying to tell me living in a ruined future without any friends or even worse, _hummus_ , is living? Then you clearly don’t know the meaning of it.” Klaus sighs, hands completely full of any snack foods he could find stashed away in the back of the cupboards.

“Hummus. The source of living. How enlightening.” He mutters in dry amusement, grabbing the apple and rotating it idly in his hand.

It’s not hard for him to admit that having Klaus and Ben around helps him relax, just a little bit. Knowing there are least some people who are willing to hear him out and help makes his job easier...even if one of them is a distracted idiot, and the other one isn’t of the living plane of reality.

He loves them.

“As far as I can tell, you’re just thirteen years old again.” The other man mutters, shoving his hand inside a box of cereal and smashing a handful of it into his mouth. “You juf haff extensive experience of how to kill people.” He chatters with a full mouth, crumbs falling out of it. “I mean that’s not very different than our childhood in the first place though! We already knew how to do that. I guess you have another tier level of sass that you might not have had before.”

Five scoffs, rolling his eyes as he takes a bite of the apple with a satisfying crunch.

“Why do you even like peanut butter with marshmallow? I guess you did used to have a pretty hardcore sweet tooth…” Klaus wonders, accidentally dropping a bag of chips on his way to the table.

“High in calories.” Five says simply.

“You _count_ your _calories_?” the disheveled man gasps in dramatic horror, scattering all of his chosen picks of food across the table.

“It was an easy choice when I needed quick sustenance.”  He elaborates. “The old man never cared what I ate because I usually threw it up during training. The sandwich was just…something easy at any time to make.” He shrugs.

“Mmmm? Now what does _that_ mean?” Klaus presses, taking a seat on top of the table as he pops open a bag of pretzels.

“If I used my powers too much, sometimes my insides just couldn’t handle the strain of constantly rearranging themselves through time and space so- “Five shrugs. “I’d get sick. Lose my lunch. Then I’d always be forced to eat something high in calories right after so I wouldn’t be out for the rest of the day and then I was back at it.”

“God, he really was such a _prick_.” Klaus mutters. “I mean you gotta wonder why he took all of us if he didn’t even want us.” He laughs, ending on a long drawn out sigh.

“Gee, maybe to stop an apocalypse.” Five informs him dully, mulling over his apple.

“Hey uh look I- “Klaus starts awkwardly, picking at his nails. “I just wanted to say I know we’re all a _liiiitle_  dysfunctional but-it’s been, well, _nice_ talking to you. Sort of helps me get the edge off without actually, _getting_ the edge off, you know what I mean?” Klaus asks, giving Five a distracted smile while he snaps a pretzel stick in half with his teeth.

Five does understand. It was obvious that Klaus turned to drugs, alcohol, and smoking to help deal with whatever demons that haunt him, literally. Apparently, that only worsened when Ben died. In a way, maybe Klaus is hanging around because it’s helpful for him too. Maybe it helps stave off the loneliness. It makes him feel a bit better that they might both be getting something out of this, even if Five would never directly say it to the other. A little voice whispers that he should try harder for him, to do better by his wayward brother.

He stares at Klaus, allowing his gaze to take in the antsy energy that emanates from his brother in any way possible. Standing up from his seat, Five grabs a knife from the counter. He slices his apple into two halves, offering Klaus the untouched half.

“I feel like Ben would like _you_ to eat something more than just junk foods as well, but you just conveniently didn’t mention that part.” He says, forcing the apple half into the man’s hand as he sits back down.

“Why, this is _treason_ of the highest order!” Klaus declares as he holds up the apple in his hand. “My own _brothers_ conspiring against me.” he whispers dramatically, a smile wobbling onto his face.

“Since when did you two become besties?” they hear voice mutter lightly from behind them.

Diego stands in the entrance to the kitchen with his arms crossed, leaning lightly against the frame. Five levels the man with an unwelcome stare before turning back to his sandwich, refusing to acknowledge the other if he doesn’t need to.

“Since we decided to use _your_ paycheck for breakfast.” Klaus retorts with a lazy laugh, biting into his fruity offering with a loud crunch.

 “That right?” Diego asks in light disbelief, rubbing at his cheek idly.

“Right as rain!” Klaus chirps, shifting into laying on his stomach over the table, winking at Five as he lazily munches on his apple. “Okay, but like-does Marshmallow Fluff exist in the apocalypse?” Klaus asks with his mouth full, content to continue their previous conversation.

“Well, you know how they say twinkie’s have a nonexistent shelf life? Yeah, total bullshit.” Five informs with a bitter frown, taking an agitated bite of his sandwich in karmic retribution.

“ _No!_ ” Klaus gasps in horrified shock.

“I was just as surprised, I assure you.” Five agrees.

“Look. I just wanted to ask if you’ve seen mom.” The man asks, the silence in the kitchen strained with tension from the previous conversation. “She’s been, a bit out of it.”

“Haven’t seen her.” Klaus sighs.

Five doesn’t answer.

That kitchen is awkward with silence.

“How’d you know about Detective Patch?” Diego asks out of the blue.

Five is going to throw the knife at him and he won’t regret it in the slightest. He’s going to do it, just watch him. If he needs to repeat himself one more time about being from the future, it might actually crack his sanity. Time travel might be hard on the mental process, but his siblings took that to an entirely different level from the way they manage to constantly boggle his mind.

“Because she _died_ -” Five sneers in Diego’s direction. “Trying to do her job properly but she got involved with our family and paid the price. You were so intent on trying to take revenge that you almost became one of the criminals you’re always trying to stop.” He mutters, remembering when Diego even blamed him for her death. “Not that you really had much of a moral scale to begin with.” He mutters casually as an afterthought.

“How _exactly_ did she die?” Diego asks with a dark spark in his eye and a clench of his fist.

Five smiles, eyes hard. “Now, why should that matter? I was just poking my nose into things, that’s why I know her name, right?” He responds harshly, words sharp as steel.

“ _Ouch_.” Klaus wheezes out a giggle.

“Five.” Diego warns.

“Number _Two_.” Five fires back. “I don’t have time for your questions. In fact, I was just on my way out.” He announces, pushing back his chair and dusting his hands. “So, if you three will excuse me, I have places to be.” He says, giving an amiable nod to Klaus in goodbye.

He needs to get back to Vanya. It’s already been too long since he went back, and they parted on an awkward note. It was his fault. Five hadn’t planned on being away for hours, time just seems to have a habit of creeping up on him in that way. He can certainly blame some of that on the alcohol.

“Three?” Diego mutters to himself.

“Awwww okay buddy. Keep in touch!” Klaus says with a frown, giving him a goodbye twiddle of his fingers. “Maybe I should go dumpster diving while I’m in a productive mood, uh-what do you think?” The man ponders, voice fading as Five walks out of the room.

He leaves the building through the front, enjoying the brisk autumn chill as he takes a deep inhale. Five allows himself to walk, taking in the familiar signs and store fronts that he had always dreamed of seeing again.

“Five.” Diego’s voice cuts through the air.

He sighs in exasperation, turning to face his sibling. “What do you _want?_ I really do have places to be, actual important things to handle.”

Diego clenches his jaw, exhaling forcibly through his nostrils. He always had a hard time not losing his temper around Five’s quips and jabs of snark.

“Was mom okay in your future?” he asks, the question throwing him for a loop. “Did we ever fix-was she-was she ever feeling better?”

Five contemplates his answer.

“I’m not entirely sure, but yes, she seemed to be doing fine later on. Even stitched up a shrapnel wound I had.” He admits. “But she was inside the building when it was destroyed and came down.” Five informs him gently.

Diego processes that slowly, blinking forcibly as he tries to imagine the scenario. “And Vanya did that?” he asks harshly.

“Diego, I have to go.” Five says, shaking his head in exhaustion. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Why are you defending her Five?” Diego interrupts, the wind giving a mournful howl as it blusters through the streets. “How can you defend someone who apparently brings the destruction of the world? God, do you even know what she did to us? It’s because of _her_ that we had an even harder time just trying to grow up and be normal. She threw out all of our secrets to the world in her personal perspective, and expected strangers to understand the things we had gone through. Even you.” Diego smirks bitterly.  “She resents you for leaving, for thinking that you were more important than what you were. She said she wanted to hate you for leaving her alone like that.”

Five’s ears burn hot with humiliation and shame, unable to push down the hurt that always still flashes when his chapter is mentioned. It was fair. It was fair for her to write that. Five himself would never forgive himself for such a cataclysmic mistake. But there were worse things to write, and Five would happily spend the rest of his second childhood making it up to her by being by her side. She had said plenty of god things, mainly good things about him. He is not like them. His hands tremble with anticipation, unable to tell if this will turn into a fight. Five swallows thickly, a flash of raw panic suddenly flooding his veins. These conversations are what keep dooming him. He’s already struck out several times when it mattered. What could he do? What does he say?

“She’s my sister…isn’t that enough?” he asks bluntly, wondering why that's not a good enough answer.

Diego exhales out a scoff. Clearly it isn’t enough then. Five clenches his fists tightly, staring intently at the concrete sidewalk in hurt frustration. He feels small again.

“Haven’t you ever had someone believe in you, Diego?” he asks, a surprised silence urging him to continue. “Someone who believes that you’re better than what yourself, or what others see you as?” He mutters, leveling Diego with a stare. “And _even_ when you start thinking those voices might be right, that one person never gives up on you, because they know you best, even better than yourself.”

His sibling is still silent.

“I am Vanya’s believer.” He claims, putting a hand to his chest. “I know her. I know her because I- “he cuts himself off, closing his eyes for a moment. “-because I _love_ her. Nothing you say, and nothing you do, will _change_ that, Diego. Everything I have done was to get back here, to my family. I _know_ my sister. I _know_ her. She is not _ordinary_. She is not a _monster_ -” Five declares, feeling his throat tighten with a whirlwind of emotions.

Diego looks lost at what to say, eyes widened in surprise. Five can’t seem to stop now that it’s all out in the open.

“She’s just Vanya with all her faults and her flaws, and that’s _good enough_ for me.” he finishes, his voice a little too loud, trembling with emotions that he isn’t used to expressing.

He takes a deep breath, forcibly straightening out his fingers.

“It should be good enough for you too.”

He turns, sucking in another shaky breath as he leaves Diego on the sidewalk alone. He doesn’t know why he’s blinking back tears that have suddenly sprung to his eyes or that he feels like someone opened him up and exposed him to the world. He continues to walk, the familiarity in these streets causing a pang of homesick despair in his chest even though his home is just a couple paces away. There is so much regret he carries, even with Vanya. So much regret. So much shame. This is his chance to be better for her, to be there when he wasn’t before.

He just wishes the world would stop trying to keep him from doing that.

It’s just branching into the late half of the afternoon when he finally makes it back to Vanya’s apartment complex. The walk did him some good even though the weather is too cold, and the uniform has much to be desired in the way of warmth. He’s stepping into the hallway, not having the courage to simply warp inside this time when they had left on such an awkward note, when his peripheral vision picks up movement. Glancing up quickly, he sees a man walking down the middle of the long hall, stopping in front of Vanya’s apartment door. Five’s breath stutters in his chest, shock firing adrenaline through every single one of his nerves. The man’s eyes widen in recognition as he notices Five at the entrance of the hall, his arm stopping on its journey to knock on Vanya’s door.

Leonard Peabody. Harold Jenkins.

The two stare at each other for an incomprehensible amount of time before Leonard gives him a friendly smile, his arm softly falling back to his side. Five finds himself grinning back widely, white teeth shining as he slowly approaches the man.

“Are you- _wow_ , are you Number Five?” Leonard inquires unassumingly, giving a quirky smile. “Gosh, you look like you walked straight out of a comic book.” He laughs softly.

“That’s me alright.” Five confirms, a dangerous laugh tumbling from his lips.

“I’m about to take my first violin lesson. _I know,_ I know-it seems pretty silly at my age…” He smiles, continuing to chat easily as if he were talking to an old friend.

It’s unbelievable how completely ordinary this man is. Five can see how Leonard downplays his own physical bulk, trying to look smaller and more unassuming than he is. Even the man’s voice is painfully average, using bland language and quirky habits to seem a simpleton with an endearing personality. To seem trustworthy. To seem average.

How convenient that he knew better.

Five lunges with an angry snarl. His fingers dig into the front of the man’s shirt, heaving his weight in rotation to slam him up against the wall with a harsh thud. ‘Leonard’ panics, flailing his arms in confusion as his back hits the wall. The man whimpers at the impact.

“Here’s the deal.” He starts calmly, clutching the man’s shirt tightly in threat. “You’re going to leave. _Right. Now._  And never come back. If I see you even _try_ and approach Vanya again, then I’m never going to let you have another chance to even _think_ about it. Do you understand?” Five grits out, using all of his self-restraint to not simply behead the man right here in the hall.

Something shifts in Leonard’s gaze. The man looks up him up and down slowly, a mystified smile coming to his face. Five startles when he feels a hand brush along his thigh, Leonard staring at the fabric with an almost awed expression.

“You’re even wearing the classic academy uniform. It’s like all this time you never aged. I bet that’s quite a story.” The man murmurs in apt fascination, eyes flicking up to Five’s face. “Are you close with your sister?” he asks conversationally.

Five backhands him with as much force as he can muster.

He feels sick as he watches the man stumble to the floor, revulsion churning his stomach. Forget it. He’s going to kill this man. His feet automatically start stalking towards his next victim, murder flashing in his eyes when the sound of a lock unlatching draws his ear. A door opens and it’s Vanya who is peeking out into the hallway with concerned brown eyes. They widen when they spot Five standing over a stranger who is kneeling on the floor, clutching their bloodied nose.

_Shit._

“Five!” Vanya exclaims in alarm, quickly stepping out into the hall. “I heard your voice and then there was so much noise- I had no idea what was happening. Are you okay?” She breathes, quickly moving to his side and examining him in worry.

“I’m _fine._ ” He assures her, trying to force down the rage pounding through his heart.

He can’t do anything with Vanya around.

“What’s all this? “she starts hesitantly, eying Leonard on the floor trying to stifle the blood flow from his nose.

“Uhm, hello there. I’m your 4 o’clock student.” The man smiles weakly. “I’m so sorry, I think I might have startled your little brother there.”

“No, you didn’t, I just _hate_ you.” Five seethes with vitriol. “I think you might have better luck with a _different_ teacher.” He says in warning, a dangerous smile forming on his lips. “You should leave. _Now._ ”

“Five what did you-“ Vanya starts cautiously, moving to place a hand on Five’s shoulder. “Sir, are you, okay?”

“ _No_ , it doesn’t matter Vanya.  I warned you about him, remember?” He says with a frown, looking at his sister with frustrated uncertainty. “That’s Leonard Peabody. He’s the entire reason why-”

“His name is Leonard?” His sister asks, something grave in her eyes as she looks back down at the man.

“Ah, yeah-yeah my name is Leonard, as I said, I um, I’m your 4 o’clock student? I’m really sorry for all of the trouble here, I think when I accidentally brushed by him that he startled.”

“That is _not_ what happened.” Five bites back in agitation.

There’s a weighted silence as Vanya looks from Leonard kneeling pathetically on the floor over to Five.

“Five I-I think you should go wait inside the apartment.” Vanya asks softly, looking at him with something akin to sad resignation.

What?

“No _. No_ , Vanya you don’t understand. This is Leonard Peabody! I told you about him, I warned you this morning, don’t you remember at all? This is the man responsible for triggering the end of the world!” he insists, only earning a stressed sigh from his sister.

“I’m-I’m _so_ sorry Leonard. My brother is-he’s going through a really hard time right now.” Vanya says, guilt in her eyes.

“Vanya.” Five exhales breathlessly, betrayal humming through his core.

“Look I-I’ll pay if you need to go to the hospital, or anything you need. I’m so sorry about this.” She says, moving closer to the man.

“Oh, it’s okay. Believe me, I understand, truly I do.” Leonard smiles weakly, showing false empathy in his beady eyes, his gaze flicking over to Five.

“Vanya!” Five shouts, grabbing her arm. “You promised you wouldn’t! After everything, you promised!” he grits out, desperation lining his tone and turning to simpler strings of rationale instead of logic.

“Five I can’t just be a bystander while you hurt other people and- “

“Not others, just him!”

“-random strangers because- “

“He’s not a stranger Vanya, I told you his name!” Five spews in angry disbelief.

How could she not believe him? How could she just break her promise like this?

“-because of your trauma!” Vanya exclaims finally, and he’s struck with such surprise that it roots him in place.

“Five, you-you _need_ help. You’re displacing. You must have seen his name on my list of students for lessons today, and your mind attached itself to that. It’s…it’s a way to deal with trauma and PTSD, thinking that there’s a bigger plot in play and latching onto specific things that make you feel like you have control.” She informs him sadly, her gentle eyes looking heartbroken on his behalf.

There’s a dull ringing in his ears.

She didn’t believe him. She never believed him. She thinks he’s traumatized and that he’s saying these things as a way of badly coping with it. She agreed to an empty promise having no intention of carrying it out because she thinks it holds no merit.

“ _Vanya._ ” He exhales helplessly, lost at what to even say.

He never considered that his own sister would think him broken.

He backs up from the two, numbly looking at her before turning to move into the apartment. The door stays open as he blankly moves to sit down. Five can hear their voices reverberating softly in the hallway, slightly muffled by the walls.

_“I’m so sorry Mr. Peabody. As I said, I can help pay for anything.”_

_“Oh no, really, it’s alright. I’ve…had my own fair share of difficulties from a rough childhood. Believe me when I say I understand and I wish him the very best. He seems so frightened.”_

_“Is that right? I-I guess it’s obvious to say that I’ve been there too.”_

_“I wouldn’t have known. Oh! But maybe there is one thing you can do to make it up to me, if you don’t mind.”_

_“Oh I-of course. Anything at all.”_

_“Re-schedule the lesson? I really would love to learn the violin from you Miss Vanya.”_

_“You’d still want lessons from me? I'm not sure Mr. Peabody, I don't know if-”_

_“I think this only made me want them more if that’s okay to say. You seem like a real genuine person, very kind. I'd love for you to be my teacher.”_

_“That’s, very kind of you Mr. Peabody. I really can’t thank you enough for understanding and not pressing charges. It's just been a hard couple of days...”_

_“Oh not at all, like I said, I really hope he’ll be okay. Oh! Here. My number. And please, call me Leonard.”_

He stares blankly at the floor, eyes unseeing as the conversation patters out. Everything he has done is for nothing. Every single time he’s tried to open his mouth and talk in this time line, it has backfired on him with failure. But _this_ , this is the true end game mistake. He wants to scream, throw things, and break down all at the same time. Instead there’s simply a dull resignation that aches in his bones, an emptiness that has cocooned over him like a lost lover.

“Five.” Vanya’s voice rings with guilt as she steps inside, softly closing the door behind her. "I'm-I'm sorry. Look, I know this is confusing but-"

He dully looks up at her, still unable to say anything at all. What is there to say? It’s all over. If he tries to intervene, she will only end up resenting him like her other siblings, which was the spark that caused the apocalypse in the first place. That bitter resentment. That darkness. He would be just another person trying to tell her that her choices are wrong, that she’s wrong. Even if it's for her own good. For her own safety. For her own happiness.

Closing his eyes in shame, he gets up from the chair. She tells him to stop, calls for him to sit down and stay, that they can figure it out. He turns into the warp he creates like a lonely embrace, disappearing in a blue light.

He’s failed everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ouch hi, I HATE fricken harold jenkins man. ughguhgugqhrogiufhrg he gives me the CREEPS every time he's on screen. in other news, vanya's therapy experience is paying off in all the wrong ways. :') Hi I'm in pain and please dont be mad at me for this chapter lmaoooo this was a hard one.


	8. I. Modulation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we take a glance at Klaus

Klaus was hoping Five would have come back to the house at some point to keep him company. After wasting a good amount of time loitering around the house, stealing his family’s food, and getting in a little nap on the chaise, he decided to be productive. He spent a good hour or so digging through the dumpster and the area around it with a slowly growing dread. The papers he threw away from dear old dad’s special fancy box are nowhere to be found. Pogo claims they are of the utmost importance, though he can’t say he understands what that means since Reginald is dead as a doorknob anyways. What was written in those documents that would be so important that Pogo would give him a free pass for stealing if they were just returned to him?

At least he can just claim deniability. After all, no one was there to see him do it, right?

After being bullied by Ben into taking a shower and dressing into a passably okay smelling outfit, he can feel the cold desire begin to envelop him. It always starts with the feet and travels up his body, almost like goosebumps. The urge to get high and be transported somewhere else but here only grows. He exhales, taking a deep drag of his cigarette as he stands outside, leaning against the corner of his childhood house. This whole, 'replacing bad coping habits with sibling bonding time' thing was something that he was actually enjoying. Five, as exasperated as he always was, never actually disregarded what Klaus said. Sure, his baby brother would snark or pepper him with light insults, but Klaus knows it was Five’s own way of awkward showing he cares. If he’s getting retorts and discussions, that means Five is always actively listening to him.

Klaus never feels forgotten around him.

He huffs out a quiet laugh, watching his air visibly curl and fade in the cold air. Only issue about withdrawal is that it’s always there. It doesn’t seem to ever go away, and Five isn’t here to passively converse with him tonight.

“Where’s _my_ fix when I need it.” He complains dryly.

 _“Stop that. You know he’s probably checking on Vanya.”_ Ben chides, leveling Klaus with an amused smile.

“Well can he check in on _me_ now? I did productive things today!” Klaus whines back. “Besides, maybe he’ll know how to help with the uh…you know. The whole…” he gestures with his hand vaguely. “Confidential document thing.” He whispers conspiratorially.

 _“Definitely a better choice than Luther.”_ Ben agrees.

Oh god, Luther would probably punch him so hard that his head would completely spin around on his body if the guy knew precious papers written by father dearest were in the trash. He winces, sucking in another drag of his cigarette. His body feels antsy, pent up with needy energy that he can’t get rid of without a high. The voices that whisper in his head make him itchy.

“Well-Well look, I’d say I deserve a reward. I mean I did what I said I’d do today.” Klaus reasons, scratching at his cheek.

_“No Klaus. You don’t need it.”_

“Ohoho I think I really do need it.” He protests.

The sun was set, his dealer would be out on the regular stoop. He could just mosey on by for a quick little hello.

 _“Klaus.”_ Ben frowns, disappointment in his dark eyes.

“Why did I get stuck with the morally righteous sibling?” he groans, staring up at the sky for a moment. “Look man I’ve-I’m _trying_ okay! For the most part.” He sighs.

 _“And you’re actually doing pretty well. So why don’t you try a little harder and just go clean?”_ his ghostly sibling asks with that logical tone that Klaus hates so much. _“I bet Five would approve too.”_

“Fine fine! _God._ ” Klaus snaps, dropping his cigarette onto the concrete and grinding it into the pavement with his foot. “If you love Five so much why don’t you just marry him?” he mocks childishly.

There’s an awkward pause.

 _“Dude, no, why.”_ Ben groans, running a hand down his face.

“Okay look-shit yeah I didn’t actually mean-just disregard that it was supposed to be a-” Klaus winces, trying to ignore the incestuous undertones he had just implied. “Yeah-just really ignore that.”

Not all of his jokes can be zingers.

_"Besides, we’ll leave that to Luther and Allison.”_

Klaus chokes on a startled laugh, looking at his brother with a bewildered grin. “You’ve got _jokes!_ Where have those been hiding all this time?” he laughs.

The tentative good mood is broken when a cab stops in front of the building. A harried Vanya steps out, looking wrought with anxiety and worry. She quickly makes her way forward, clutching her jacket tightly around her as she hurries to go inside of the house. The womans stops and does a double take when she sees Klaus outside hanging around the front.

“Klaus-Have-have you seen Five? Is he inside by chance?” she asks, a desperate hope lingering in her brown eyes.

He raises an eyebrow.

“Nooo dearest sister, I in fact, wagered he might with you!” he claims, his tentative good mood suddenly sinking to a low.

Vanya exhales, resting a hand just above her forehead in stress. “Well, do you think he might be inside, that he came in when you were out here and didn’t see him?” she asks insistently.

Klaus frowns, giving her a general shrug. “ _Suuuure,_ maybe. He comes and goes as he pleases, and not always through the front door.”

Though if he avoided Klaus on purpose that was just a dick move. Vanya nods, quickly rerouting her path up the stairs and into the building.

 _“That seems…bad.”_ Ben chimes in hesitantly.

“I completely agree, brother of mine.” Klaus mutters back, watching her form disappear inside. “Something doesn’t feel right about that.”

He follows her in, giving a casual smile that belies the slow curling dread in his stomach as she makes her way up the many spirals of stairs with quick steps.

“Five?” Vanya calls, eventually opening the door to his room.

It’s empty.

“Five?” she calls again with more desperation, looking around as she steps into her sibling's room.

“And uh-what _exactly_ do you need our baby brother for?” Klaus asks curiously, eyes shifting for any sight that Five had been here recently.

“No no, please he has to be here.” She murmurs, the exhale of her breath catching on a worried cry.

“Vanya.” Klaus frowns, stepping in front of her path as she exits the room. “What’s going on huh?” he asks, the serious tone conveying his genuine concern.

“I- “she exhales deeply. “I broke a promise to him even though…even though I was right to. But I did in a way that really-that really hurt him. I just need to find him and apologize. I know we can figure it out, I just-I was stressed and I should have tried to still be more supportive even though I couldn’t let him hurt a random stranger- “she trails off, looking at Klaus with regret in her eyes. “Please, has he been here at all? It’s been hours and hours since he left and now it’s dark and-“

“No. I haven’t seen him since he left in the afternoon.” Klaus interrupts with grim finality.

 _“I don’t like this Klaus.”_ Ben says softly, watching as Vanya quickly turns around to dig in her coat pocket, pulling out a prescription bottle and dry swallowing a pill for her anxiety. _“Something’s wrong.”_

Now look, Klaus is fully aware that his brother can handle himself. Hell, he’s seen that time and time again in the span of a day or two. Except, when it comes to Five taking care of himself that is. But ultimately, his brother does what he wants. A small part of him wonders if Five is just missing in action because he’s doing his 'save the world' thing or walking to let himself think without all of his obnoxious siblings around. He just wishes a bigger part of him feels that way, because the majority of him is just plain worried. He doesn’t know what it is, but there’s just something about this that is making him feel cold.

“Maybe he’s just letting off some steam! You know, breaking bones, drinking booze, and...all that good stuff.” Klaus grins, feeling Vanya’s anxiety rub off onto him.

She clearly _doesn’t_ know judging by the confused expression.

“Okay okay _look_ -Vanya. Five uh-Five really cares about you alright? If anyone is going to make a mistake and be forgiven, it’ll be you.” He smiles awkwardly, attempting to reassure his anxious sister.

“No, you don’t understand Klaus I just-you should have seen his face. The look in his eye I just-I’ve never seen…I should have stopped talking-should have just told Leonard that I’d call him later and focused on Five then- “

Klaus does not like the sound of that.

“ _Leonard?_ ” Klaus interrupts, eyes widening in light recognition.

“What? Yeah there was this guy-Leonard. Five told me to stay away from him because of…certain things he saw during his time traveling. And I was trying to support him by agreeing, but I realized I was only enabling his behavior. He needs help-I just-I should have handled the whole situation better.” She breathes, tucking a strand of brown hair nervously behind her ear.

“But you met someone named _Leonard?_ ” Klaus presses, a disbelieving smile forming on his lips.

“He was a new student."

_"What a coincidence."_

“You don’t think that’s just sort of…a _strange_ coincidence?”

Vanya shakes her head. “I have a list of students I write down on my schedule. He must have seen it earlier when he slept over and latched onto it. I…I’ve been there Klaus. I’ve done the things he’s done. A way to cope with a lot of bad stuff that’s happened. With trauma. I’m just so worried about him, I didn’t mean to push him away. God, I should have just done better and now who knows where he could be. I just-I messed up.”

Klaus feels angry. In fact, he can say that he feels downright pissed off.

“I’ll say.” He laughs harshly, feeling himself grind his teeth together in agitation.

 _“Don’t take it out on her Klaus.”_ Ben sighs, watching the two with conflict.

“Well why _fucking_ not?” he snaps, twirling around and moving towards the stairs. “Five is just missing in action for _hours_ apparently after being told off by _Vanya_ of all people. I think I’m allowed to be a little _concerned!_ ”

“I’m concerned too.” Vanya says, hurt lacing her voice as she follows Klaus back down the stairs.

He doesn’t apologize, even if he wasn’t talking to her.

Five could be drinking somewhere out of house and home, though how, is the question. No bar would serve him obviously, he’s a kid. Would he resort to stealing? What if some of those weird swat people came back and are trying to hunt him down? Shit, Five could be literally anywhere in the city and Klaus doesn’t even have an idea of where his brother could be.

He wished Five had come to him.

 _“Why didn’t he come to us?”_ Ben asks softly, the concern in his voice palpable even through the veil of death. _“We would have…we would have been there for him. He knows that right? He trusts us by now to at least know we’d be there for him if he was hurting…”_ his brother says sadly, apparently thinking the same things Klaus is.

“Hey you two, what’s going on?” Allison calls out to them as they move onto the main floor.

She’s in the process of hanging up the house phone as they approach, turning to look at them in confused anticipation. Looks like someone has family issues as a wife, and as a sibling! Two for one package, how lucky.

“ _Heeeey_ Allison, you haven’t happened to have seen our smallest brother, have you?” Klaus greets with a tense grin.

“Five?” Allison frowns.

“We really need to find him.” Vanya urges softly.

No. _Klaus_ needs to find him. Ben can come too, but everyone else isn’t welcome as far as he’s concerned. They're all canceled. It had been hard enough to get Five to even smile once at him, and he’s not going to let his shitty dysfunctional siblings ruin all of that progress for him.

“No, sorry.” The older woman says. “What’s going on?”

“I just-I blew up at him in a way that didn't help anyone. I told him I couldn’t stand around and let him hurt people because of his…because of how he’s handling his trauma. He just-he thinks someone called Leonard is a trigger for the end of the _world_ I mean- “she sighs. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to tell him otherwise.”

Allison is silent for a moment. “Leonard Peabody?”

“He told you?” Vanya asks with a frown.

“He told all of us Vanya.” Allison says with a raise of her eyebrow. “He said we had to protect you from some guy. I mean-obviously it’s a bit hard to believe.” She laughs softly, but it doesn’t hold any humor in it. "But he seemed...very genuine."

“Yeah, you know what? Just, _throwing_ this out there, but I’m pretty sure one of the first things he said was something about preventing the apocalypse. We were _all_ there when he said it that first day he came back, right?” Klaus present, gesturing his hands in an open motion.

“What are you saying, Klaus?” Allison frowns. “You don’t actually believe that, right? Luther even said that time travel- “

“Oh my _goooddd._ ” Klaus groans, turning around and walking away from them mid-sentence. “You all just _suck,_ so much, so I’m leaving now.”

 _“I know that it’s a bit hard to believe, but I wish sometimes I was corporeal just so I could punch a wall in frustration.”_ Ben mutters bitterly as Klaus moves back into the parlor and opens the door to step outside.

“It’s not _that_ hard to believe! That’s what’s worse.” Klaus exclaims, flinging his hands upwards in confusion. “Sometimes they act like they are so disconnected from their life as if they didn’t grow up kicking butt and being surrounded by superhero siblings! Like _ooo_ big deal, we’re adults, well that doesn’t mean this shit just goes away!”

He resists the urge to light another cigarette, letting the brisk chill ground him into taking some calming breaths.

 _“But where do you think he went Klaus?”_ Ben asks after some moments of silence, his voice betraying a raw worry that only ever shows itself when it comes to Five’s wellbeing.

“I have… _no_ fucking idea, Ben.” Klaus says sadly, swallowing down the worry that’s currently gnawing at his heart. “Maybe nothing’s wrong and he’s just taking a…four hour walk or something. He can handle himself. He's our small bad ass.”

_“But Vanya-"_

“ _God_ don’t you think I know?” he exclaims in spastic energy. “I _do_ know! I _know_ how much that would have hurt him, even if he wouldn’t have said so! I know Ben!”

Another pause.

_“Well…you know what we promised to him. Even if he’s okay, maybe we should just…try anyways and look for him. I know that’s what you want to do, and you know that’s what I want to do.”_

Klaus exhales shakily.

“Yeah, okay. Okay let’s try, then. Where to first?”

\------

It's quiet when Five comes to with a throbbing ache in the back of his head. The first thing he feels is the surprising lack of physical feeling in his body. Everything feels strange and muddled as if he has cotton in his brain or he’s drifting underwater. His head is heavy, and he can’t seem to find the strength to lift it from its lolling position. It's dark.

“No no no, don’t try to move. I’m working.” Coos a familiar voice.

There’s a steady slicing sound from a knife carving through hard material. He tries to move anyways but his limbs feel like lead, uncooperative with his body. The only thing Five can figure out in this situation so far is that he’s sitting on a chair, and he can’t seem to move anything at all. A good-natured sigh rings out into the small room followed by a small thud of something wooden being set down. Then, there’s suddenly a gentle hand on his jaw, supporting it as the fingers tilt his chin upwards.

“Go on. You’ll be able to open your eyes with some concentration.” The voice urges gently, patiently.

Something about it makes Five involuntarily shudder. Mustering what strength he can find, eventually his eyes flicker open. His vision blurs harshly out of focus, everything a swirl of vertigo and disorientation. The thumb on the side of his jaw caresses his cheek lightly, almost trying to show support of his effort to understand what’s happening. His vision focuses enough to make out the softly smiling face of a man looming over him, everything finally clicking into place.

Leonard Peabody. Harold Jenkins.

Five tries to pull away, but the disorientation in his mind doesn’t allow him to do anything but groan in light confusion and shift slightly. He doesn't even know how this happened, his memory just as disoriented as his body is. How did he get here? What happened? Where is he?

“Sorry. Had to take precautions, you know how it is. I have to say, I’m so glad we met today. You were always one of my favorites as a child. Imagine my luck getting to meet two Umbrella Academy members in one day.” Leonard smiles amiably, the casualness of his stance contradicting the current situation.

The man gently retracts his hand, moving back over to his own chair. It’s seated directly across from Five though it’s in another room, with Leonard looking in. Five’s body trembles with strain, just trying to keep his head up to examine the scenario in front of him.

“It’s okay Five, you can rest some more.” Leonard encourages softly, his friendly unassuming face actually being the most horrific thing about the man. “We’ll have lots of time to get to talk. You know, your father wrote some incredibly interesting things about you in his notes, it really is just…just  _extraordinary._ ”

The man picks up where he left off by grabbing his woodcarving knife, casually etching into the wooden figure as he hums.

It looks like Five.

He shudders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, this has just gone entirely off the rails. HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR SURPRISES BECAUSE THIS WHOLE CHAPTER WAS A SURPRISE I THINK. it just keeps going downhill lmao
> 
> Ugh -shudders- I HATE Leonard fricken peabody


	9. I. Minor Key

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our brothers are at a loss

“You know, I never got along with my dad either, Five.” Leonard says after an unknown amount of time woodcarving.

Five looks up from his dizzy attempts at trying to focus. Though it feels like some of the fog has cleared, he still can’t manage to make his body respond to him. He’s been fading in and out of a strange muddled state for who knows how long.

He must have been drugged with something.

The man puts down his tools, giving him a sympathetic smile. Eventually he drags his chair closer to Five, though he’s still sitting in the other room. The man has a journal, a manifest of some sort that he starts turning the pages of. It has the initials of his father on it.

“Ah, here it is.” Leonard mutters, stopping on one of the pages and clearing his throat. “By all accounts, Number Five seems to possess the most individual thought out of all of the students. Certain numbers are much easier to contain and restructure than others. Number One eagerly thrives on simple praise from his mentors, and Number Two, though he has a penchant for foul moods, is easily subdued by a kind maternal figure. Number Three is swayed by that of a more materialistic and narcissistic pursuit, while Number Four simply exists to find distraction in the mundane. Number Six, due to the unpredictability of his dark gift, must be ranked higher along the scale simply due to the unknown. Number Seven of course must also be ranked accordingly due to the raw unconstrained power she possesses and cannot control.

Leonard looks up. “Is that true? Were you actually ranked on how easy it could be to _mold_ you into his vision?” he asks casually. 

Five doesn’t answer.

The man looks back down at the book, smiling in mystified awe. “Number Five however, seems to hold such a strong individual will, that at times, seems to exist only as a way to test my methods and fortitude. No other student has the audacity to even look me in the eye, but Number Five’s arrogance seems to challenge me every day.”

Five exhales, his fists slowly clenching and releasing. Hearing Leonard read notes that had been directly written by his father created a mixture of emotions that he didn’t want to even try and decipher right now. He needs to escape. He needs to get out of here.

“How…did you even get that?” he asks, his voice sluggish and slightly slurred.

Even talking is a challenge. He hates this.

“I found them. Looks like your brother wasn’t interested in such information since he threw it in a dumpster but I have to say, this was quite a find. It’s sort of like the ultimate collector’s edition. It's not like it was stolen, since it was discarded as garbage. One man's trash is another man's treasure and all that as they say.” He laughs amiably. “Oh look. Here’s another interesting bit.” Leonard says with barely hidden excitement, leaning down to look more intently at the page.

“In every aspect, Number Five could have been my greatest success. The fortitude in which he trains, and the dedication to which he pushes the boundaries of his body are ideal in comparison to any other of the students. It is a great shame that his arrogant thoughts of grandeur have tainted an otherwise model vessel. No amount of physical punishment, exhaustive training sessions, or even simple mind methods seem to break his insufferable will- “Leonard trails off, glancing back up at Five. “He actually physically abused you?”

Five says nothing, clenching his jaw tightly. He didn’t need to talk to this man. He didn’t need to tell him a single thing about his life or how his father had treated him. Time travel hadn’t been just an idea to test. He wanted so badly to claim he was ready, because he had _needed_ to be ready. He had been desperate to be ready. Desperate to escape.

Desperate to _run_.

“It is perhaps incredibly fortunate then, by some instance, that Number Five is so emotionally attached to his siblings.” Leonard continues to read.

Five slowly glances up in surprise.

“Though it is subtle, the lengths Number Five will go to for his siblings should not go unnoticed. The wellbeing of their status has been the only thing that has shown a modicum of success to manipulate him in where I need him to be. He has regularly been seen moving in and out of Number Six and Seven’s rooms during the day, and in even higher numbers after curfew. There has also been note of time-space activity during Number Four’s aptitude training at the mausoleum. See incident 0.04, The Jenkins Event.  Since then, efforts have been made to train Number Four and Five at the same time so Number Five will not interfere with vital training. It is a shame that Number Six and Seven are too unstable that I cannot use them more often to help tame Five’s will.”

His father had known all this time? He blinks forcibly, not understanding anything he is going through right now. The drugs have physically numbed him and warped his head into a foggy mist, but he could feel the emotions burning a hole into his heart. It hurts. 

“Wow, that’s a lot to take in.” The man says softly, turning a kind pitying gaze with empty eyes onto Five. “I uh-I never got along with my dad either Number Five, like I said. Dads…they just don’t always understand I guess, huh? That’s just another thing we have in common.” He says softly.

Five tugs lightly at the thick rope bindings behind his back, his wrists straining.

“ _Harold Jenkins_. I’m going to- _kill_ you.” He eventually grits out, glaring at the man. “And when I get out of here, I’m- “he inhales deeply, trying to work his jaw collaborate. “I’m, going to make sure that it will _not_ be clean.”

He doesn’t expect a backhand in response. It sparks a flare of pain in his cheek that electrifies down his entire body. Leonard stares at him for a moment with a hard frown as he looms, stretching out the hand he just used to hit Five with.

“No. No no I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” Leonard apologizes quickly afterward, reaching out with the same hand to soothingly touch Five’s cheek. “I’m sorry Number Five. I let my emotions get the better of me. I’m just a human being after all.” He smiles ruefully. “I promise I won’t hurt you like that again.” The man says calmly, soothingly.

Five can only breath harshly through his nostrils, trying to inhale through the pain and emotional whiplash from the other man. This is nothing. Child’s play. His pain tolerance being back to age thirteen is an inconvenient issue, but his mental fortitude wouldn’t crumble. It won’t crumble.

“You must already be in so much pain, knowing that Vanya doesn’t trust you. I didn’t mean to add to that.” Leonard’s calm voice breaks through his thoughts.

Vanya.

Five breathes, trying to dig down and find the powers that normally come so naturally to him. He can feel it there, dormant, lingering, but can’t seem to find the strength to access it. Every time he gets close, his vision blurs or the world tilts unexpectedly. Whatever Leonard drugged him with, the man chose the right thing.

“Why-are you doing this.” Five blurts, figuring getting Leonard to keep rambling would at least give him time to figure out what to do.

“I just need you out of the way for a little bit Number Five. I can help Vanya look for you, soothe her worries. Us _ordinary_ people need to stick together, and I just can’t have you interfering like that.” Leonard lectures casually.

“ _Don’t_ call her that.” Five rasps angrily.

Silence.

“Your father, rejected me back in the day. He told me as a child, I was just a _child_ , that I don’t have any power. He told me, that I’d _never_ have power.” Leonard explains, giving a small breathy laugh. “But even ordinary people can do extraordinary things, Number Five. And even extraordinary people…” Leonard trails off, giving Five a quick once over.

“…can be affected by ordinary weaknesses.”

Five closes his eyes, a lonely resignation slowly pooling in his stomach. He tugs feebly at his hands behind his back again, wondering how it had even come to this. The rope’s coarse texture scrapes against the healing cut on his palm, sending another throb of pain down his spine.

“You’re actually in my woodworking store right now. It’s not an ideal place for a visitor to stay, but we’ll move to my house when it gets a little later in the evening. It’s still a bit too early, lots of people outside enjoying the night life. Luckily for now I have curtains and a closed sign.” Leonard chuckles casually. “People would think I’m crazy if they just saw me chatting to no one, not knowing you’re in this room, you know?”

“Harold-” He bites out, struggling to continue speaking.

His body is trembling and he can’t control it, small tremors wracking his limbs as he drops his head weakly with a weak huff. He curses himself internally, this lack of control one of his greatest fears. How can he possibly try and figure a way out to escape if he can’t even think straight? If he can’t even move the way he needs to?

“ _Shhh_ Number Five. You shouldn’t try to fight it.” Leonard soothes, standing up from his seat as he closes the book.

Five feels a hand petting his hair comfortingly and his body gives another involuntary shudder for an entirely different reason.

“And please, call me Leonard. I really prefer it. Is there a name you would prefer to go by?” the man asks considerately. “Seems like your siblings all have one now.”

Five doesn’t answer.

Leonard turns away from him eventually, grabbing his chair and bringing it back to his work table. He plucks the wooden figure he had been carving up to examine it, glancing to Five every so often before turning back to compare. Five presses his cut palm into the rope, rubbing his scabbed skin against it. The cut reopens easily having been new, and he can feel fresh blood suddenly run down his hand and onto the bindings. It stings, but if he can’t escape his traditional way, then he’ll escape using the old-fashioned method. Decades of experience didn’t leave him without knowledge. Using his blood to create a lubricant for his hands is one he hasn’t had to use just yet though.

First time for everything.

 ------

“Klaus.”

“Je- _esus!_ ” Klaus shouts, hand flinging to his heart as Diego comes up behind him on the sidewalk. “Holy shit man, warn a guy!” he complains.

“What are you doing?”

Klaus purses his lips. “I’m trying.”

Diego raises an eyebrow, shifting his weight to one side as he crosses his arms. “And what does that mean in your language?”

“It means that unlike all of _you_ shitty people, I’m actually going to give a fuck for once and look for our tiny sibling.” He grins. “Why, what are _you_ doing? Stalking me! An innocent man just walking down the sidewalk for no reason!”

Diego sighs. “ _Look_ , you wanna check out this Peabody dude or what?” he offers, running a gloved hand through the side of his hair.

Klaus pauses, turning to fully face his sibling in curiosity. “What?”

“He owns a shop just down in Bricktown. Thought we could scour the area quick.”

_“Well that’s convenient.”_ Ben chimes in confusion.

“Very convenient. Too convenient.” Klaus mutters, squinting at his sibling with caution. “What’s this all about Diego? Did you really come hunt me down on the street to ask me if I wanted to take a joyride with you?” he asks in light bewilderment.

The man huffs out a scoff, rubbing at his forehead in agitation. It just doesn’t make sense is all. It’s not like Klaus wants to say no, but he doesn’t understand the sudden change of heart coming from one of his most bull-headed brothers. Sure, Klaus hasn’t been doing great on his search alone, but that doesn’t mean he necessarily wants to do it with anyone else either.

“ _Look_ , Klaus. I know you’re close with him. So if he’s out drinking, or doing shit and doesn’t wanna come home, I need you to help convince him to. I highly doubt he’ll wanna hear anything from me.” Diego explains with begrudging confession.

Klaus blinks.

“Oh my god.” Klaus breathes in epiphany. “You want _me_ to convince him to come home! Me! Because he’ll beat your ass if he doesn’t want to do what you say, and you know it, so you _need_ me!” he laughs.

_“Oh my god, you’re right.”_ Ben smiles. _“He’ll get his ass kicked and he knows it.”_

“ _Look!_ ” Diego snaps. “I figured we could help each other out, so cut your shit! I help keep the streets clean, and in return I can help you at least check out Peabody’s stupid wood shop because you believe in that apocalypse shit!”

_“Why is he offering at all to check? If anything wouldn’t he just say you both win because Five would be safe?”_ Ben wonders in contemplation.

Well, today is just full of surprises isn’t it?

“Oh… _ohh_ you believe Five too.” Klaus whispers, a wide smile forming on his lips.

Diego clenches his jaw.

“You _do_ , you believe him! Oh Diego, my long lost brother you’ve returned to us at last!” he wails dramatically, bouncing up and down on the soles of his feet in elation.

Thank god not all of his siblings were cancelled!

“Just get in the fucking car.” Diego barks, stalking around to his side of the vehicle.

Klaus complies with utter elation.

“I was on my way to Griddy’s! I think we should check there first.” He says as he settles into the back seat of the car, slamming the door shut.

“Why?” Diego asks, turning his key into the ignition.

“He likes coffee, like loves it. And breakfast. Maybe he just wanted some comfort food after…” Klaus trails off, nibbling at his lip as he stares out the window.

“Vanya?” Diego smiles dryly. “God, if that’s not the definition of ironic I don’t know what is.” He mutters, pulling out from side of the road he had parked on.

“What’s ironic?”

Diego shakes his head. “Nothing. Forget it.”

Klaus wishes he had a cigarette about now. The neon sign of Griddy’s Dougnuts comes into view soon enough as Diego pulls into the barren parking lot. Looks like another slow night. He shoves open the door, shutting it with a distracted push as he tries to peek inside for his brother. The two brothers head inside, a small bell jingling as Diego opens the door.

“I must say Agnes, you make a mean jelly-filled doughnut.” A portly man compliments kindly to the waitress as he sits at the diner counter.

The waitress laughs in return, seemingly charmed at the patron’s kind behavior. Klaus immediately wanders over to where him and Five sat last time, a pang of disappointment filling him when his brother is nowhere to be found. Diego stands stiffly in the entrance, scanning the entire area of the diner with one hawk-like sweep of his eyes. They both startle when a door bangs open further back, a woman in a sharp navy blue suit exiting out of the restroom with an exasperated frown.

“Nothin’.” she says with a clipped tone, moving over to stand by the man eating the doughnut.

“Oh, it’s you again!” the waitress, Agnes, greets kindly, giving Klaus a small wave. “How are you doing today? I hope your brother is feeling better, I was so worried.”

Klaus forces out a smile, moseying up to the diner counter. “He’s just so _splendid_ thank you. In fact, my dear brother standing over there and I thought he might even be here, because he loved everything you made yesterday!”

Agnes puts a hand to her heart, humbly touched.

“Oh you boys are so sweet. I have to say when you dragged him in here and I saw some of that blood on his collar and hands I was a fright nervous.”

“Ohh no no, just-just hyplo…”

_“Hypoglycemia.”_

“Hypoglycemia! It really does ya wrong when you least expect it.” He sighs.

"Never heard someone physically bleeding out because of low blood sugar." the man chewing the doughnut mutters.

Klaus grins wide.

“He hasn’t happened to have come in here tonight by chance, has he?”

“Oh, not that I can remember dear, I’m sorry. It’s been a slow night so I would have remembered a familiar face, especially as cute as a button as your little brother.” She laughs sweetly. “Well, gosh, it must just...be the perfect day to go out and have fun without a care if both of you are looking for someone. Is the weather that nice?” Agnes asks, smiling at both Klaus and the man at the counter.

Klaus meets the man’s tired grey eyes curiously. The man gives a simple quirk of a smile before finishing off his doughnut. He seems nice.

“You could say that.” The man answers.

“Hazel. We should go.” The woman interrupts.

The man, Hazel, groans out a long-suffering sigh. Klaus watches him eventually stand, holding an aching wrist and rubbing circles into it with a purse of his lips. Hazel eyes his empty plate with a longing gaze before dropping his wrist and giving a nod, looking entirely too resigned. He must not be getting paid very well.

“Back to the grind then. Thank you for the doughnut Agnes, maybe I’ll have to…come back and try a couple more sometime.”

“Oh, you should if you’d like Hazel…there are so very many flavors to try.” Agnes says with a tentative smile, smoothing down her apron softly.

The suited woman rolls her eyes, already on her way to walk out. As she passes Klaus, he’s bombarded with a multitude of voices that are suddenly everywhere at once. They wail, they scream, they sob, they beg to him. He blinks forcefully, trying to push the torrent of them all down and not be overwhelmed by the sudden horrific onslaught.

“Good luck finding your brother.” Hazel says politely to Klaus with a nod, dusting off his sugary fingers on his pants as he follows the woman out.

“Oh-oh yeah uh-uh thanks. You too.” He mutters distractedly, the world suddenly silent again.

Klaus slowly turns around to stare after the two with cautious dread, feeling cold sweat bead along his brow. He finds the woman is staring back at him. Their eyes meet.

Hers look as cold and dead as the ghosts that follow him.

Eventually the stranger turns back around, opening the door with a jingle and moving outside, the man trailing after her at a more haggard pace.

_“What was that?”_ Ben whispers. _"Are you okay?"_

He hasn’t the slightest idea what to say to either of those questions, but he feels like whatever just happened is somehow important. Diego levels him with an impatient look across the diner, still crossing his arms near the entrance. Clearly Five isn’t here.

Klaus feels like he’s missing something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Run boy run, this world was not made for you. 
> 
> Everyone wave to our two favorite assassins! and hey how about how much we hate that Leonard Peabody am I right? AM I RIGHT. Also I know this chapter came out super quick but I felt really bad leaving it on such a cliffhanger. Also I guess in a way it's still a cliffhanger Im SORRY.
> 
> Also hi, do we like the changing perspective in these chapters? Sometimes I just feel like I don't want to post a short perspective from just Five or just Klaus but I dont know if it's too muddy posting two perspectives in the same chapter. Do you like? would you prefer them to be separated?


	10. I. Deceptive Cadence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Five fulfills his promise.

It’s been hours.

Whatever Leonard gave him must be wearing off, either that or the pain is helping to him focus on the present. Whatever it is, Five won’t take it for granted. He’s been slowly tugging at his restraints, not hesitating to try smear blood onto his wrists and hands as much as he can around the coarse rope and limitations he’s been given.

It’s still not enough. Not just yet.  

Leonard has been in and out of the shop, talking casually with him as if he was simply a friend visiting for a cup of tea for the evening. Currently the man is seated back at the work bench, sanding down the figure he’s made in Five’s likeness. The room is silent except for the soft sound of sandpaper scratching against the wood, and the occasional city sounds that are muffled from outside world.

“You know what, maybe I’m not looking at this in the right way, Five.” Leonard muses, breaking the silence of the scene.

Leonard sets down the sandpaper, turning to look at Five with an analyzing gaze. The man gets up, dragging his chair a bit closer again to sit across from him, presenting wooden figure for Five’s inspection. Leonard’s smile grows wider as he holds it up in pride, but his eyes seem to be lacking any genuine warmth inside of them.

“What do you think? I’d say that’s pretty accurate to you right? I felt inspired.”

It is unfortunately accurate, but the wooden figure’s pose itself is what draws his unwilling attention. The carving is of him in a running action pose, only one foot touching the ground as it presents itself in a desperate but graceful sprint. The figure is staring up, one of his hands reaching out in front of him to something unknown, hand open in desperate longing.

“I feel like in a way this captures your essence. You were strong, but in the end, you ran away from everything you had to endure. Your abusive life. I understand that you know. You wanted to re-create yourself. I did that too. People like us, we have to do what we have to do”

He inhales, fighting down a shudder. He’s killed hundreds of people. He’s endured hell on earth. He’s battled isolation and insanity for most of his life. But this. This is a game he has never had to play before. This sort of mental manipulation and emotional whiplash is something he didn’t even deal with when Reginald was alive.

“I am _nothing_ like you.” Five seethes, leveling Leonard with a glare.

“You don’t need to be like that, Five. I know you’re upset but…” Leonard chides, leaning back in his seat. “Did it hurt that Vanya didn’t believe you?” he asks gently, a sympathetic frown pulling at his lips.

No.

Yes.

Yes, it did. It does.

“Now, I don’t know about the end of the world or anything like what you were saying to her this afternoon...but you _did_ know my full name, and you mentioned I’d try and manipulate her. I can’t deny I was hoping to get to know her with a hope that I might be able to spread a bit of a…message. Is that a byproduct of your time traveling?” Leonard wonders, turning from his seat to meander back to his workstation.

Five looks up, staring at the man’s back in shock. He’s silent as Leonard grabs Reginald’s journal again, flicking quickly through the pages as if he already knows exactly what he is looking for. Leonard hums in a small victory, returning back to his seat with the book. He gives Five a sympathetic smile before he puts his finger to the page and clears his throat.

“Number Five has finally run away. It started at an average mealtime, but today it was very obvious Five’s usual ire towards me could not be contained as usual. He demanded once again that he was ready for time travel. He was not. He will likely never be, not that this is of any concern now. Not even warning glances from Number Seven seemed to convince her foolish sibling from running away as if he were some common vagabond urchin. He is well and truly gone now, likely having destroyed himself in the time-space continuum.”

He can’t help the way his breath catches in his throat.

“Though is it truly a shame, as I have lost one of my most powerful units, Number Five’s disappearance can be made an example of for the other children.  I have already requested a portrait to be painted in his memory so that the others may always be reminded of the consequences and fear of where free thinking may lead them.”

“ _Stop._ ” He blurts, his mouth moving of his own will.

Leonard quickly scans the rest of the page, before looking up at him in interest. “But there’s more to it, plenty more. Don’t you want to know your father’s deepest thoughts and emotions? The man was a closed book to everyone, even to all of you, right?”

“No.” Five says, his voice betraying his control and wavering with emotion. “None of this is relevant.”

“I think it’s incredibly relevant, Five.” Leonard soothes softly, pity lining his features.

Five hangs his head, staring at the ground in despondent shock. Even the picture of him up on the fireplace had meant absolutely nothing. Of course he thought it could simply be used as a way to remind the others about what not to do, but to hear his own life discussed so logically and trivially by the person who was supposed to have loved him. The person who was supposed to have cared about him. The person who was supposed to have been his father. Everything he had done, everything he had worked for was to get back to his siblings. The possibility that he had been lost or suffering hadn’t even been considered, nor cared for.

“While I cannot say this is an optimal outcome, I cannot be dismayed at the results.” Leonard continues to read. “Even in loss, a gain can be made. In this instance, there is no better point that can be made but to show the students that dreamers are just that. Dreamers. Lost to the very space and stars that they dream about.”

“Shut _up._ ” Five grits, staring intently at the floor in an effort to push down the flood of emotions that are suddenly rising to the surface after all of this time.

He isn't a child. He wasn't a child, not even back then, he never had the chance. He hadn't filled his head with naive clouds and stars, dreaming about world peace or a better tomorrow. He had just wanted to find a way to start a new life with his siblings that didn't involve Reginald's iron grip and darkened frown in every corner of his mind. He had just wanted to love, and to be loved. He had just wanted to run somewhere else where he meant something to someone.

He had dreamed of a better life, that's all. He...

“There is no place in this world for children like Number Five. All in all, his absence is of no great loss.” Leonard finishes gently, the book closing with a soft thud in finality.

He grips the rope as tightly as he can, letting the physical pain of a raw reopened cut take priority over the emotion pain.

“I’m saying I _understand_  Number Five. I understand everything about you now. You somehow did time travel, but something went wrong along the way and no one even cared. And no one cares now...”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know that your sister thinks you’re crazy.” Leonard interrupts, leaning forward on his chair. “I know she thinks you’re delusional even though from what I just read in this journal and how you look, and from what you have been saying, that clearly there’s a lot more to it here.”

“I _promise_ you, I’m going to kill you.” Five breathes as he glares up at the man. “I would stop talking.”

Leonard doesn’t take the bait this time, simply sighing in a sympathetic manner. “It must be hard. Loving people so much and never having it noticed. Working so hard for the siblings you would do anything for and having them think you’re crazy or misguided.”

It does.

“You can’t help people that don’t _want_ your help Five.” Leonard consoles softly. “All that work doesn’t mean anything if people don’t _want_ your love and they don’t _love you back_.”

If they don’t love him back.

That’s true, isn't it? A small sliver of him can’t help but wonder why that was never enough to begin with. He’s their brother, their sibling. Shouldn’t their love and concern for him be enough? Why had no one heard him out except for the sibling that was getting something out of it too? No. That’s not fair. It’s not. He knows it’s not fair to say that about Klaus. Klaus is good to him. Klaus has been good to him…Klaus said he believed him.

Right?

“I just wouldn’t know what to think either if someone I cared for so much chose to believe a random stranger over me.” Leonard sympathizes softly. “Especially with how much you’ve tried for them, even as a child. I know I said this before, but you really do look like you haven’t aged a day Five. What’s your secret there? What happened to you?”

A lifetime of mistakes. A lifetime of suffering. A lifetime of isolation. A lifetime of being created into the perfect killing monster. A lifetime of _being_ one.

He doesn’t realize he’s crying until a drop of water falls down into his vision, creating a dark stain on the floor as it lands. He blinks and several more tears roll down his cheeks as he stares at the floor in mute despondence.

“ _Oh._ ” Leonard breathes sadly.

That damned hand is under his chin again, and he’s forced to stare into Leonard’s beady false eyes. He refuses to say anything, staring defiantly at the other man even as Leonard brushes away some of the tears on his cheeks.

“I’m sorry. That must have been hard for you.” The man apologizes soothingly. “I forget not everyone is at my point in life yet. There’s a lot of hurt before you can heal.” He explains gently, giving Five an encouraging smile.

Five doesn’t say a word.

“But...I think I like you and Vanya, Number Five. You two are sort of special cases, and I think I can allow a little change of plans. We really got off on the wrong foot. I _am_ sorry for hitting you, you know that right? You did threaten me and assault me first, though.” Leonard chuckles, reminiscing back to this afternoon. “Let’s think of it as an eye for an eye and call it even. But you, who always tried to fight and rebel against your father and arrogant upbringing, and Vanya, who was always told she wasn't special, just like me. I think we could do a lot of good, don’t you?” Leonard asks, patting him on the head.

It takes everything within him not to scream.

“When we go to my house, we can talk about more about it. For now, I’ll have to unfortunately sedate you for a bit when we get to the car for the ride. Give me just a moment here, I’m going to clean up and then we can leave.”

Shit.

He doesn’t have more time. He needs to act before he’s put under again. It’s too soon, he doesn’t know if he can warp never mind even fight properly. He tugs, feeling his wrists scrape against the rope harshly, skin getting rubbed raw as he continues to use the friction and blood to loosen up his hands. He leans forward as far as he can, letting gravity help pull and strain against the ropes. Five grits his teeth as he feels the restraints pull against him, clenching his jaw from making a noise as he pulls. There’s a sudden feeling of release and his wrists and hands are finally freed from the chair.

Leonard has his back turned towards him, putting away his tools. That would be the man's last mistake he'd ever make.

Five pushes through the fog, quickly untying the knots on his ankles that are strapped to the chair with trembling but expertly intelligent hands. He’s tied knots, plenty of them in his lifetime. It’s like a second language to him at this point. He tries to keep an eye on other man as he pulls at the ropes desperately, cursing the weakness that’s lingering in his limbs. Leonard is just hanging up one of his work saws onto its peg when he begins to turn back towards Five. Five propels himself off of the chair with a grunt of exertion, pushing through his limits with a grit of his teeth. This is nothing. This is nothing at all. He’s done it all before. He’s suffered and pushed past his limits in this younger body too.

Even at this age, his body knew pain. It knew exhaustion. It knew how to suffer.

He rams into Leonard with an enraged shout, smashing the man against his own worktable. Leonard shouts in alarm, the breath stolen from the man as his stomach is rammed against the edge of the table. Tools fall from the shelf like rain, harshly scattering across the tables and onto the floor. Where Five has the experience however, Leonard makes up for in size, stature, and coherent clarity. The man pushes himself off of the table, backing up forcefully and slamming Five’ back into the opposite wall, Five wheezing as he makes impact with the wall.

“What do you think you’re doing!?” the man shouts enraged, breathing harshly from the exertion.

Five attempts to wrap his arms around the man from the back, attempting to choke him out. The two fumble, Leonard eventually grabbing onto Five’s arms and disengaging his grip with an angry yell. Unable to stop for even a moment, Five kicks at the back of the man’s knee with unsteady force. Leonard staggers anyways, stumbling and slamming into one of his woodwork exhibitions with a loud rattle of chairs. The man’s hands find their way to grabbing a chair, hurling it around with a grunt. Five drops to the floor, the chair smashing against the wall loudly just above him, a rain of wooden splinters and sawdust raining down around him. His body fails him as he tries to spring back up to his feet, a wave of vertigo suddenly hitting him.

No, no he can't fail here.

Then Leonard is there, grabbing his shoulders with a punishing bruising grip and pinning him down onto the floor with maddened brown eyes.

“How dare you. How _dare_ you, after everything we’ve been through and talked about!” the man shouts, moving his hands to Five’s neck and squeezing. “I was going to help you Five, I was going to help you!”

Five coughs, his air supply suddenly being cut off as Leonard squeezes harder. His blood-slicked hands automatically come up to grip the man’s hands, trying to pry the off of his throat.

“You’re so ungrateful. So selfish! It’s no wonder they all hated you, even when you tried so hard to be good to them! They all knew better, they all knew _better!_ ” Leonard rants heatedly, a sickly gleam in his eyes as he looks down at his victim.

His head was swirling again as he gasps for air. Five wheezes as his hands drop from Leonard’s wrist, clawing at the carpet in desperation. Something hard nudges against his hand as he desperately reaches for it, his bloody fingers latching onto the base of the wooden object.

“They could all see that you were only ever going to bring all of them down with how _selfish_ and _arrogant_ you are- “

With an agonized shout, he stabs the random weapon into Leonard’s face as hard as he can.

The wooden figure goes straight through the man’s eyes with a sickening squelch. There’s a deathly silence as Five realizes that he just stabbed the man’s eye with the very figure of himself Leonard had carved of him that day. Then suddenly Leonard is screaming in agony, falling backwards in indescribable pain as the man howls his lungs raw.

An eye for an eye.

A hot flood of adrenaline pours through his veins as he’s able to suddenly gulp in a deep inhale of oxygen. Along with the adrenaline comes the torrent of emotions he’s been trying to hold back for the past few days. Five forces himself up, lunging at the writhing man with snarl. He smashes Leonard’s back against the floor, reversing their positions in an instant. Ruthlessly, he pulls out the figurine from the man’s eye with both hands, earning another agonized scream in response.

There’s a roaring in his ears. A dull thud. Voices. Screaming.

He stabs the man again, the figure’s arm snapping from the harsh impact, creating a sharp point of raw wood. He brings it up above his head, and stabs down again. This time it pierces Leonard’s chest. And again. And again. And again.

He lifts up the weapon again.

Then there are hands on him, trying to wrestle the makeshift weapon out of his bloody grip. He shouts in denial and frantic protest, trying to fight them off to continue when he started. He kicks, he fumbles, he tries to bring the weapon down again but there are hands on both of his arms squeezing tightly.

"Get _off_ of me, I'm going to kill him,  _I swear I will!_ " he screeches desperately, voice cracking from strain as he rattles in a painful labored breath.

He needed to finish the job. He had to finish it.

“Help him Klaus, I’ll-“

“Five! Stop- _Stop_ Five, it’s okay! Let go of the-”

“Fuck, what the _hell_ even-“

He has to fight.

“ _FIVE!_ "

He freezes.

The hands on his raised arms suddenly loosen in their grip, wide hazel eyes in desperate fear stare into his own pale irises. They’re shimmering with raw concern, a warmth that belongs to a real human being. Someone who cares for him. Someone who loves him.

Klaus.

_Klaus._

“Oh my _god_ , Five- _what_ -are you-are you okay!?” Klaus asks aggressively, almost angry he’s so sick with worry. “What _happened_ , where did you go!? I was l _ooking for you_ -we were looking- “

Klaus _loves_ him.

The broken figure drops from his hands with a hollow thud. His breath his hitching before he even realizes what’s happening and then he cracks, and fully shatters. His body shudders violently as he breaks down into tears, the strain from all of his meaningless efforts finally taking its toll . Klaus chokes in a shocked inhale at his weakness, arms quickly coming around to tug him tightly to the man’s chest. He desperately clings to his brother’s coat, leaning into the man’s embrace with broken sobbing.

"Oh _no no no_ ,I’m here-I’m _here_ , _god-_ it’s okay. It’s okay Five.” Klaus promises desperately, a hand resting in his hair as his sibling holds him tight.

He weeps and weeps and weeps for the time he will never get back. For the love he's never experienced in this way. For the stars that died out before his desperate hands could reach out and touch them. 

Diego loiters in the background, dark eyes scanning Leonard Peabody’s corpse as soon as Klaus pulls Five into a protective embrace and further away from the dead man. The temperamental sibling picks up the bloodied bludgeon Five had been holding, rotating it around in examination.

It’s a wooden carving of Five himself.

Diego grimaces, pushing down the eerie disgust as he treks throughout the ruined room. Tools lay scattered across the floor and table everywhere, debris from a broken chair littering the carpet. He peeks into the side room, finding a chair with loosened ropes, blood stains behind it. Diego peeks out of the room, eying Five for a moment. His sibling’s trembling wrists and hands are completely covered in blood, confirming his thoughts. He nudges against a toppled over chair as he moves, dark eyes eying a red book on the floor.

He picks it up, eying the golden initials of “RH” on the front before flipping it open to a random page. It automatically flops open to a now wrinkled and slightly bloodstained entry. Diego scans across the hastily written cursive scrawl that undeniably belongs to his own father, reading a single section before he closes his eyes in resigned understanding.

He’s going to burn it later.

“We need to go.” He announces decisively.

They’ve made a lot of noise, and he had smashed down the door after hearing the commotion inside upon Klaus’ frantic command. He didn’t need curious bystanders peeking in to see this mess of a scene. Klaus looks up at him from the floor with a teary face of his own, looking devastated and helpless at what to do with Five coming utterly undone in his arms. Honestly, Diego is at a loss too. He’s never seen any sort of behavior like this from his shorter sibling, even when they were kids and this sort of frantic despair is a very bad sign of Five's state.

He wishes he could go back in time just so he could have a chance to kill Leonard Peabody himself.

“See? What did I tell you?” rings a female voice from the entrance of the store.

“Well, we’ve learned by now to always trust your womanly murderous intuition Cha-Cha.” A tired voice states in bland response.

There’s a metallic click of guns being drawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -inhales-
> 
> ...Yeah I'm at a loss. This is a roller-coaster of hurt, please feel with me.
> 
> And YEAH I did another chapter the same day-DONT JUDGE ME I CANT HELP THAT YOUR COMMENTS FUEL MY EXCITEMENT


	11. I. Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the stars are beautiful, and Five finally confesses.

Five hears the telltale sign of a gun being cocked even in the exhausted haze of his brother’s embrace. After spending a lifetime of always being aware of his surroundings, there are just certain things that stick with a person, even through time travel. He’s pushing Klaus down onto the floor harshly before his mind even catches up with his reflexes.

The storefront window shatters from a shotgun blast, glass raining into the store.

“I told you we should have just used the Molotov.” Hazel mumbles.

“How about we try the professional way first?”

“That _is_ the professional way for all I care.”

The familiarity of the voices makes another surge of adrenaline burst through his heart. Of all people he has to deal with, why did it have to be Hazel and Cha-Cha right now? He glances around his surroundings, eying the two assassins who are staring him down from the entrance.

“Don’t make this harder than it has to be Number Five.” Cha-Cha calls to him, lifting up her gun.

“Who the hell are those guys?” Klaus asks in shock, eying their rubber mascot masks with fearful anticipation.

This is a losing battle.

It’s too crowded and small to put up a proper fight when he’s not even at his best. Klaus clearly won’t be able to hold his own, which makes him a liability on the battlefield. Diego can’t take them both on alone, even with Five’s weak assistance. There’s that old-fashioned saying about how one shouldn’t bring a knife to a gun fight, and frankly that lives up to his rapport.

“We can’t stay.” Five rasps, his voice still aching from having being choked. “Get out the back entrance.”

Diego is already taking off into a sprint, kicking down the back door exit to clear the way. Klaus wraps his arms around him again tightly, quickly hauling them both backwards behind a fallen table as a shower of gunfire reigns through the store. There’s a crunching of glass, footsteps moving inside the store. A reload of guns.

Klaus is looking around wildly, as they huddle against the terrible makeshift shield. Of all the ways to die, he doesn’t want it to be in a cramped store with his brothers still around. Klaus won’t make it to the exit in time if his brother has to support him too. Five knows his limits. His legs aren’t responding. He doesn’t know if it’s because of the shock or if it’s because he’s already been pushing himself too much, but this uncooperative body could not have come at a worse time.

“Come on kid.” Hazel calls with a sigh. “We know you’re there.”

A metallic ting suddenly rings out through the area. One of Diego’s blades rips through the air, curving right into Hazel’s arm. The man gives out an alarmed shout, his gun blasting suddenly in recoil. The shot fires at the ceiling, taking out a chunk of the lights.

Now’s their chance.

Five pushes against Klaus urgently, pointing at the open exit while they have the moment of surprise. His brother scrambles into a crouch, trying to pull Five along with him as they attempt to stay low out of the killing duo’s sights towards the exit.

“Screw this!” the man shouts in angry exasperation.

A bottle smashes in front of them. Five can smell it before he sees it, tugging Klaus backwards with a heavy grunt before the bottle explodes into flames. The resounding explosion upsets his already wobbly balance and he falls into back, Klaus cursing in horrified response.

The store is enveloped in an orange glow as it begins to catch fire rapidly. Setting fire to a wood store is like moths to a flame. Inevitable. Cinders catch fire in a moment, the embers dancing in the air reminding him of back then.

Back there, in the ruined rubble of the apocalypse.

“Klaus, Five!” Diego shouts desperately from the other side, his silhouette in the doorway being obstructed by waves of heat.

Five spies his sibling sprint away, likely going to run around to the front entrance of the store. It will be too late by then for more of a distraction. He can hear them getting close.

“Shit shit shit _shit-_ “Klaus chants, sweat dripping down his brow.

His brother has a cut on his cheek, it’s sluggishly bleeding down his chin. Five wonders if a splinter nicked him during the blast. Klaus meets his gaze with frightened eyes, as he manages to pull himself up into a sitting position. He can feel his breath catch in his throat as his sibling pulls him close again, protectively.

“It’s okay-it’s okay.” His brother whispers over the flames that block their only escape route, the fear in his voice contradicting his words.

Klaus is afraid to die. Klaus is horrified but he’s still hugging him and holding him as if he matters. As if he’s something to protect. He can feel his sibling’s arms trembling in fear. His chest hurts.

Oh.

So this is what it’s like to be loved so utterly and completely. That someone wouldn’t even think about dying right here with him. Giving their life up with him.

Klaus can’t die here.

No, Klaus won’t die here.

He breathes deeply, a flare of pain shooting through his body as he returns the hug tightly. The power within him is still there, it’s always been there. He’s pushed past his limits, but it’s not enough. It’s not enough to save Klaus right here and now, so he needs to push farther. With a pained grunt he pushes his body in strain, trying bend the time space reality around him. His powers push back, Five feeling a painful resistance being pushed back at him.

No no no.

He has to do this.

He pushes against it with effort, a strained curse tumbling out of his lips. It refuses to move, the blue swirling energy not allowing him to transport him and his brother out of here.

“Time’s up.”

There’s a gun aiming down his brother, the empty black eyes of Cha-Cha's pink dog mask staring at him with a detached cheer. He doesn’t know how she got there so fast, he’s been too distracted. There’s no time. There’s no time. There’s a gun aiming at Klaus because of him. It can’t end like this.

His arms tighten around Klaus and he yells with effort, putting all of himself into the jump. He can feel the resistance suddenly break as he pushes through the barrier of his own restrictions. A familiar glowing blue envelopes his vision and a loud shot rings in his ears, echoing into the night. It all happens so fast. They land onto damp asphalt outside of the shop with a harsh thud. Klaus is wheezing into his ear with fearful breaths. The stars above look down on him in praise with a light shimmer, the cold air telling him that he managed to jump outside of the building with Klaus in success.

His body rejects his efforts with violent reproach.

Five stumbles sloppily to his feet, getting two shaky steps away before he dry heaves, his insides protesting the normal limits of what they can handle. Nothing comes up, he’s too exhausted to even puke properly. He can feel a shaky hand softly rest on his back, running up and down in comfort.

“You did it-you did it Five.” Klaus whispers in awe, trying to comfort his burned-out sibling while also being alert of the assassins that are still in the area.

“The little bastard jumped!” rings the voice of Hazel from inside the store.

“They did say he was special.”

“Well why aren’t we given more information about that huh? You’d think with such an important person that we’d be informed properly on every aspect of the mission!” Hazel shouts angrily.

Diego practically barrels them over in action. Their combat-oriented sibling wastes no time in simply hoisting Five up into his arms, taking off into a sprint as fast as he can manage carrying him in his arms. Eventually they skid over to a car in the parking lot, quickly taking shelter to hide behind it with heavy breaths. He looks up at the night sky again. It's nice.

He’s so tired.

“I had no idea he could do that.”

“I didn’t either. We need to leave, they’re still looking for us and they’re gunna find us if we don’t get out of here soon.”

“What do we do?”

Sirens are wailing in the distance.

“Let’s get out of here.” Cha-Cha announces. “I hate these stupid city jobs, it’s too crowded man.”

“At least we’re burning the evidence.” Hazel muses, voice fading out as the two exit the store at a leisurely pace.

_“…Five? What are you..? Why can I…”_

Ben?

“Car, _now._ ” Diego orders, re-centering Five in his grip.

He closes his eyes, cheek laying against his brother’s chest as he begins to nod off. He’s so tired. Maybe he can finally get a break.

_“No no NO, Klaus!!”_

“Little busy right now!” Klaus hisses as he runs.

_“Help Klaus! Help-you don’t understand! I can-I can see him fading!”_

“What!?”

_“FIVE IS DYING!”_

The sirens get closer. There are several car doors opening and closing. He can feel himself laying in the back of the car, his eyes blearily blink open. Klaus is staring down at him with frantic horror in his gaze, as Ben yells at him to do something. That concern and desperation is for him.

His chest hurts.

His hand weakly moves to settle against it and an agony so strong cripples his ability to even breath. A pained breath rattles out of his mouth, closing his eyes against the onslaught of sudden pain. When he shakily pulls his hand back and opens his eyes again, he’s met with the view of his palm covered in fresh blood.

Oh.

He’s been shot.

So that’s why.

“Klaus…” he calls out weakly, lifting his eyes to stare up at his brother who is staring at Five’s bloodied palm in shock.

“Nope. No-no n _o no-no_ don’t you _dare-do you hear me Five!?_ ” Klaus demands grabbing Five’s hand and settling it down at his side as he hovers helplessly over Five’s form.  “Diego! Diego _help me_ -he’s-he’s-”

_“He’s already lost so much blood.”_

“Put pressure on the wound Klaus! We have to get home, it’s the closest!” Diego shouts, slamming on the gas pedal and swerving out into the street.

 _“Five fight it. You have to fight it-please.”_ Ben begs, his dark eyes shining with desperate devastation.

Oh, when was he able to see Ben? He looks older. It’s a nice look on him.

Ben stares back at him with heartbreak.

Hands are pushing against his chest and he doesn’t think he’s ever felt this sort of pain before. He cries out in agony, body seizing at the flood of pain that seems to fry his nerves and open him raw. His head turns to the side as he struggles, a string of desperate broken apologies from Klaus filling the car. A single tear rolls down his cheek as he lives through the constantly enduring agony, and Five thinks he might actually die here. His siblings are talking, shouting maybe. He can’t seem to make out what they’re saying. Something wet drops onto his cheek, making Five weakly open his eyes. He turns his head back up to look at Klaus. His brother is crying, raw pain shimmering in his hazel eyes as he pleads and begs to just talk to him a bit longer, even as the man presses down tightly onto his chest to try and prevent the bleeding.

So this is love.

He reaches up to life a trembling hand to the man’s cheek, his heart bursting with so many things he has always wanted to say to his family. To his siblings. To Klaus. He has so much love he wants to give to them, why had he never tried harder to show it?

“I love you, Klaus.” He declares softly, a solemn smile tilting up on his lips.

He’s sorry because he can’t help his brother more. He’s sorry because he doesn’t know what’s going to happen in the future. He’s sorry because he couldn’t stop the apocalypse, not even the second time around. He’s sorry because he knows he has run out of time.

His hand falls, leaving a smear of blood on his brother’s cheek.

“Five- “Klaus begs, pressing harder onto his chest. “Don’t leave me-don’t leave me _please_ for the love of  _god!_ ”

He’s tired.

 _“Go back. Go back Five-"_ Ben urges in desperation.

“Sorry.” He whispers. "Im-I'm sorry." he apologizes, a couple stray tears rolling down his face.

The stars are beautiful tonight.

Five's world goes blissfully dark with Klaus and Ben begging in his ear, the moon above him glowing brightly.

A single hour later Vanya Hargreeves destroys the world, maddened with grief.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I expect no one will like me after this chapter. That's fair to be completely honest.
> 
> I'm sad.
> 
> But this is not the end.
> 
> EDIT: I ended up deleted a small little paragraph at the end because it felt a bit too rushed. I wanted it to end in the moment and I think it's a bit more effective and a little less rushed now


	12. II. Solo Piece

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Five realizes that being a team player is overrated.

He breathes.

The blackness eventually warps into the smell of the outdoors and the earth beneath him. His chest flares in pain as he hits the ground, falling face down onto his forearms. Dry dirt rests under his fingernails, a swirl of crisp autumn wind. His body aches.

He feels like he’s been here before.

“Does anyone else see…little Number Five, or is that just me?” comes the bewildered voice of Klaus that echoes in his ears.

_No._

No it can’t be.

_How?_

Five slowly opens his eyes in light disbelief, breathing in the smell of the earth and dirt he’s laying on. He sluggishly rolls to his side, propping his body up with an elbow, eyes wide in mute shock. A hesitant hand moves up to his chest, no pain or blood to speak of when he touches it. He glances down to find everything is in tact. But, he had died. He had died in the back seat of a car with Klaus and Ben yelling at him and Diego speeding through the roads. All he can feel now is the exasperating agitation of wearing an overgrown suit meant for an adult, and a prevalent exhaustion that lingers in his bones.

“Five?” Luther calls to him hesitantly.

He jerks his head up to stare at the huddled siblings with lost eyes, his brothers and sisters all staring at him back with bewilderment and confusion.

“You okay?” Luther asks, taking a step forward.

No.

Not in the slightest.

He pushes himself off of the ground, moving to his feet. Blood is pumping in his ears, confusion swirling through his mind frantically. How could this have happened? Had he died? What is going on? With an frantic jerk, he rips off the oversized suit jacket and flings it to the ground, his feet already turning to move into the building. Automatic reflex has him ducking under Luther’s concerned hand that reaches out to him, moving past his siblings with a clenched jaw. He can’t even think straight he’s so disoriented, a myriad of unanswered questions bursting into his mind at a rapid pace. He glances distractedly at familiar hazel eyes he’s gotten to know so well lately as he passes Klaus on his way inside.

His feet hesitate in their pace. He stops.

Five turns to face Klaus fully, looking up at his brother with wary caution. His heart hammers in its chest and his body itches with anticipation as he tries to immediately squash down the hesitant hope that blooms while looking at his sibling.

“Klaus…?” he asks softly, searching for any sort of recognition in his brother’s eyes about what had just happened previously.

Klaus raises an interested eyebrow, quirking a hesitant smile at Five. “Yeppo, that’s me alright _._ ” he quips lightly as he scratches at his cheek, his eyes briefly flicking over to his siblings in confusion before they swivel back to Five. “Good thing you all see him too, or this would be a _super_ awkward reunion.” Klaus jokes awkwardly with a laugh, glancing beside him with a distracted click of his tongue.

Klaus doesn’t remember anything they had gone through.

Pushing down the inevitable spike of hurt that pierces his heart, he clenches his fists and shakes his head in resignation. His feet continue to move him forward, shoving the door open to the manor with more force than necessary. He blinks forcibly, sick of dealing with the whirlwind of emotions he’s had to endure the past couple of days just trying to do this all over again. And now what? He was back right where he started? He trudges into the kitchen, immediately grabbing the newspaper on the table and eying the date.

March 24th. The day of Reginald’s funeral. Eight days until the apocalypse.

He breathes deeply through his nose, trying to maintain his composure as he sags dizzily against the table. No one remembers what happened. No one except him. He died. He died and no one remembers and Klaus-

Klaus doesn’t remember.

He rubs a hand down his face, trying to breathe heavily through the torrent of hurt and fear that only grows stronger with each confusing minute he’s here. A heavy exhale tumbles out of his lips as he tries to come up with an answer. Nothing makes sense right now. All of that work for nothing. Again. All of the efforts he made trying to tell his siblings the truth. All of the efforts trying to open up to them. Trying to be vulnerable to them. It had all been thrown back at his face and declared as lunacy. He grits his teeth. He had given everything and in return, he received a bullet in the chest.

He had died for it.

His fist smashes onto the table with a heavy thud, the noise echoing throughout the room. Maybe he’s going crazy, that all of this really _is_ just a byproduct of a mental break as a consequence of time traveling.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

A sneer forms on his lips, as the heavy footsteps of all of his siblings are slowly heard making their way into the kitchen. He turns, pulling open one of the drawers forcefully to grab a kitchen knife from within. He stalks around the kitchen with hardened eyes, snatching the newspaper as well as an apple from the fruit bowl.

“Five.” Luther calls as he enters the room first, ever the leader. “Aren’t you going to- “

“Be _quiet_ , Number One. I don’t have time for you or your band of selfish idiots.” He grits out, disappearing in a flash of light.

He comes out the other end on the stairwell, trudging up them with a seething anger that only grows with every step that he climbs.  He had tried to pour his heart out to them, to _all_ of them. If trying to be honest and open didn’t work, then he wouldn’t bother. He wouldn’t ever bother again. He’d do everything himself this time. Now that he has the knowledge, he can manage his timing better. This is the way it's always been and the way he is more familiar with. It will certainly be more successful now that he's armed with foresight.

He doesn’t need anyone.

Five shoves the door open to his room with a frustrated grunt, slamming it closed and locking it in finality. He wrenches open his closet, quickly picking out a uniform and throwing it onto the bed as he moves over to his desk and idly depositing the apple onto it. The over-sized sleeve of his blouse is pushed up, fabric pooling at his elbow as he sets his arm on the wooden surface. Brandishing the knife, he cuts into his arm with an angry inhale, sucking in air between his teeth in a light hiss of pain. The pain feels vindictive in a way. His fingers dig in harshly, pulling out the bloodied tracker for the third time. It will be disposed of at a farther location a bit later. He warps in and out of the bathroom to wash off his bloodied arm and to wrap some gauze around it hastily. As loathe as he is to admit it, finally shedding the adult suit for his well fitted academy uniform makes him feel better. It brings a small level of comfort in knowing that he’s at least presentable, even if he looks like a schoolboy. He exhales with a small nod as he tightens his black tie properly.

There’s a firm three knocks at his door.

He ignores it.

Five takes a seat at his desk, idly plucking a pen and scribbling down his time goals on a blank sheet of paper. He leans over in concentration, ignoring another set of knocks at his door. There are certain key events that he needs to prevent or change in order to make this time line run smoother. Just because he’s going to do it all by himself this time doesn’t mean he isn’t still going to help his siblings. He’d inform Vanya about her powers immediately. He’d make sure the people hunting him down wouldn’t get near his brothers or sisters. He’d make sure that Klaus understands the importance of the papers he threw away and try to figure out how Leonard Peabody managed to pick that up.

He’d make sure Klaus would be safe from harm.

The bright red apple looms in his peripheral as he commits his memory to writing. A small drop of liquid falls onto the paper, spreading out slightly and staining it grey before settling. He blinks heavily and then there’s another. And another. His hand trembles. With a shaky exhale, Five sits back and runs a hand across his face. It comes back lightly stained with tears. The proof of his weakness only makes him angry. This childish and inconsistent wave of emotions is as foolish as it is humiliating. He has composure. He’s in control of himself. There’s no need to cry because there's nothing to cry about.

He is fine.

He is  _fine_.

It doesn’t matter if he’s crazy. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past. It doesn’t matter if he died or if he suffered. He’s always known pain. What matters is that he’s here in this present, and so that means he needs to do what he’s always done. He needs to carry on. He needs to pick himself up from his scraped knees and keep walking. He needs to work towards the objective to save his family, even if he can't stand the sight of them. The bigger picture would be worth it in the end. It has to be worth it.

The knocking eventually grows so loud that he can no longer ignore it. The sound grates in his ears and unbalances his concentration. Slamming down his pen with a loud smack, he stalks towards the door and unlocks it with an angry huff. He’s not expecting to see all of his siblings standing behind his door, several trying to peek at him behind Luther’s giant frame.

“Five, can we just talk for a second?” Allison asks tentatively.

“It’s been seventeen years.” Luther states, as if that means he owes any of them an explanation of what's he's been through.

As if the explanation he’d give would even be good enough for them anyways. He smiles at them tight-lipped in infuriated disbelief. With a shove, his hand slams the door in all of his sibling’s faces, making sure the lock drags with a loud click for them to hear it.

“Well...that went well.” Luther’s muffled voice mumbles from the other side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hurray it's not over! 
> 
> ...I dont know if this is much better though-IM SORRY OKAY DONT BEAT ME UP ON THE PLAYGROUND. Five has a strange return to form in this chapter and it makes me sAD.
> 
> Sorry I know this one is a short chapter. It's more setting up the scene I guess, just like the first chapter was.


	13. II. Elegy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Five tries to continue with his unsentmental approach.

The rain is miserable.

Five chews on the rest of his apple with little emotion as he stands around the back yard with his siblings for Reginald Hargreeve’s scattering of the ashes. He bites into the fruit with a particularly loud crunch, the sound even louder than the rain pelting onto his umbrella. Luther looks over at him with an awkward glance, holding his dad’s urn tighter to him in response like a sacred treasure.

“Might want to wait to dump those. Weather conditions don’t seem to be ideal.” Five suggests to him dully, taking another bite of his fruit with a casual crunch.

His siblings eye Luther with hesitation, not knowing how the large man will react to the strange disrespect being shown by their newly recovered sibling. Apparently, Luther doesn’t know what to say to that either, because he blinks once and then opens the urn anyways.

The ashes pour out and onto the ground into a pathetic little pile as usual.

Idiot.

“Might have been…better with some wind.” Luther relents in admission.

Five tosses his apple core behind him, hearing it land with a small thud into the dirt. He scoffs.

“Would anyone like to say a few words?” Pogo calls softly.

“Nope.” Five declares.

 Leaving the rest of his worthless family to their own devices, Five turns to Klaus standing beside him, leveling the man with an intent stare. His brother looks back at him with an unassuming grin. He doesn’t know why it hurts so much still, he already knows this try will do better. The relationships with his siblings don’t mean anything if they are dead in the first place. It shouldn’t matter.

It shouldn’t.  

“Did you already throw away the old man's papers? Reginald's book?” He demands.

His brother’s eyes widen in light shock not expecting to have been called out so blatantly, especially by someone who hadn’t even been there to see him.

“Can’t say I know what you’re talking about there dear Five.” Klaus laughs lightly.

“I think you know _exactly_ what I’m talking about, and if you had any common sense Klaus, you would tell me when and where you did it.” He grits out. “ _Now._ ”

“Wait what’s he talking about?” Luther calls to them with a furrow of his brow. “You still took something of dad’s even though I told you not to?”

“Shut up Number One. He’s dead, what’s he gonna do? Be disappointed?” Diego immediately interrupts, swaying Luther’s attention.

“It’s not right, and you know it. His things are not ours to take, or steal or-or pawn off for- “

“He was a monster.” Diego says with a dry laugh.

“Don’t.” Luther warns.

Five rubs his temples. God it’s like clockwork. Really stupid, pig-headed clockwork. Soon enough the fists would be flying from the two and then it’d play out all the same. A worthless fight. A broken monument. A knife thrown. Nothing gained.

“Sorry about your statue Ben.” He mutters, earning a bewildered look from Klaus.

“He was a bad person, and a worse father. The world’s better off without him.” Diego declares boldly, challenge sparking in his eyes.

Five turns back to stare at Klaus with dull expectancy, hoping he can at least get some important information while his idiotic brothers fight. He doesn’t expect for Klaus to be staring back him, eyes lightly squinted in concentration, his fingers rolling around his cigarette in thought. Klaus flicks his gaze down to Five’s chest, leaning forward ever so slightly.

“Klaus.” Five mutters in agitation, feeling strangely exposed.

His brother blinks several times, flicking up his hazel gaze to stare directly into Five’s eyes. “Are you…are you okay there, bud?” he mutters under his breath, trying to not draw anyone else’s attention.

“I’d be _better_ if you’d tell me what the hell you did with those papers.” He grits out, pinning him with a caustic gaze.

“It’s just- “Klaus frowns, flicking his eyes over to empty air beside him. “It’s just uh-if you’re injured you should probably get that checked out, you know what I mean?”

Five blinks. “What?”

“Your…you know.” Klaus points to his chest with a nervous giggle. “You’re injured? Pretty sure that’s not something to just casually walk off-”

“No…I’m-I’m not, there’s nothing there.” He breathes in shaken confusion, hand moving up to squeeze the fabric of his sweater vest tightly before forcibly releasing it.

There's no wound. There's no pain. He's alive.

_‘Klaus! Ugh, don’t freak him out! I don’t know what we’re seeing. You need to push, but be less obvious about it. He’s clearly in pain, whether that’s physical or not. You know how shy and guarded he used to be, don’t just directly call it out like that.’_

“Wh-I am _not_ shy!” Five barks in flustered exasperation.

Wait.

“What?” Klaus blinks in wide-eyed surprise.

“I…” Five trails off, turning to look around in bewilderment.

Was that Ben?

This is getting out of hand. He doesn’t have time to get involved in this again. Five has a goal, and it’s one he needs to stick to. This is all just distractions that will take him away from the true goal. Stick to the plan and get the job done. That’s all that matters. Five dully glances at Luther and Diego who have now just started throwing their first punches at each other. On reflex, Klaus backs up a bit, throwing out a hand as if to shield Five. It’s endearing, if it didn’t hurt so much considering the circumstances.

No. No no. It doesn’t hurt. It is exasperating is what it is. He’s an adult, he can handle himself and he doesn’t need to be protected.

“Look. Just tell me what you did with the papers. They are very _important._ ” Five grits out, stepping into Klaus’s space with frustration.

Klaus holds up a hand in surrender. “I threw them in the dumpster okay? I didn’t know they were important. I mean it’s a dead guy’s documents, how important can they be!” he grins.

Important enough to start the end of the world apparently.

This is exhausting. He hasn’t even been here a couple hours and it’s already an irritating mess. Not having Reginald’s book likely means Leonard has already found it, knowing how much of an intense…fan, the man is. He’s going to have to pay him a little visit later and just get the job over and done with.

Fine. That’s fine.

He’ll drop by the man’s shop and kill him before he even has the chance to meet Vanya. That crisis can be averted. He breathes out a long exhale, grounding himself in the moment. This is fine. He has that workaround which is the most important issue. The soldiers and assassins that are personally after him aren’t a big deal.

Problem solved. World saved. Mission completed.

His thoughts are disrupted by a large crack. Five turns to see Luther slamming his fist right into Ben’s statue, the monument falling into chunks and pieces across the scattered earth. Maybe he should have tried to stop that this time.

Irrelevant.

“There it goes.” He mutters, rolling his eyes as he makes his way inside.

“Hey just-just wait a second.” Klaus says, grabbing his shoulder.

Five jerks it out of his brother’s grip harshly.

“ _Don’t_.” He mutters quietly, swallowing down the eruption of emotions that threaten to flow over if he continues to talk to his mess of a sibling.

“Jesus just wait a second I said! What was that whole thing just a second ago-” Klaus whines, the man quickly stomping on his cigarette before trailing after Five in haste.

“Oh.” Five stops in a sudden epiphany, disappearing in a flash of blue light.

He reappears behind Diego just as the man is winding back to throw a knife at Luther. Five plucks it out of his hand, completely breaking the tension of the fight.

“Going to borrow this, thanks.” Five mutters dully, warping back over to the door of the house.

“Hey what the fuck?” Diego voice echoes over the rain angrily.

He pushes it open without another word. It’d be rude to keep the kitchen knife to himself, but Diego has blades to spare. It was smaller than the one he initially used as well, so he could carry it around with relative ease. Five tosses his umbrella inconsiderately onto the floor, thinking of potential areas he can toss the tracker tonight.

“Okay, enough!” Luther shouts, slamming open the door following Five inside. “You owe us some answers Five! You’ve been missing for seventeen years, so how about you do us all a favor and explain yourself!” he commands, the anger simmering from the fight with Diego still resonating in his tense posture.

Five clenches his jaw.

“It’s been a lot longer than _that._ ” He mimics word for word, just like the first two times it’s happened. “Old man was right. Time travel is a crapshoot. I’ve been through some stuff, seen some things. I’m a lot older than you all think I am.” He retorts, turning around to face Luther and the siblings that are meandering inside after him.

“What does that even mean?” Allison chimes in with a raise of her eyebrow.

“The end of the world is in eight days by the way.” He says conversationally. “I’d say I need your help to stop it but I don’t. I really don’t. So if you’ll excuse me, I have some men to murder at a point in time tonight, and I’d like to write down some numbers before I leave.”

“Excuse me?” Luther questions in authoritative confusion.

“Wait-did anyone else hear the part where he’s going to like-kill some dudes or was that just me?” Klaus murmurs in confusion.

“Did anyone understand a _word_ of what he just said?” Diego mutters.

 “Probably not, none of you are smart enough, or even care enough, for that matter.” Five states as he tosses the blade casually in his hand, moving into the sitting room.

He can just grab a quick drink while he’s at it.

“ _Care?_ None of us have been around each other in years, why the hell would we care about anything you, or anyone else does?” Diego barks out in confusion.

Five pauses.

The rain patters onto the windows panes lightly, the low rumble it creates filling the house with light noise.

“I guess I thought maybe I might have been missed enough for someone to care that I’m here.” He states with a bitter smile, his back to his siblings. “But you’re right, why would anyone care about a miserable, dysfunctional family?” he asks, a familiar sadness embracing him that aches deep within his bones.

The silence his comment creates speaks enough for itself.

He nods to himself, fiddling with the knife in his hand. They would have done anything else except demanded answers from him as if they were interrogating a criminal if they did care. Even a smile, or a bad attempt at a hug. Any sort of happiness in their eyes when they first saw him fall from that warp. He’s been fighting his entire life to get back to them, he’s still fighting now, and none of them had even cared in the first place. Had it been him this entire time that was different? Is he fighting for something that's just an idea instead of the reality?

Maybe Leonard had made a-

Five forcibly pushes himself out of that mindset with a jerk. Irrelevant. It’s all _irrelevant_. He moves to the bar, eyeing the shelves in contemplation. Delores would be furious at him if she could see him now. She always liked to lecture about alcohol never bringing proper nutrition, and that it was never worth the effort to get.

Delores…

“Five I…” Vanya’s tentative soft voice calls out.

His breath catches in his throat, a raw spike of hurt running through his veins.

No. It’s too soon to face Vanya. Her intentions had been good, but he can’t do it. His limbs are locked, refusing to look her in the eye. It’s fine. He doesn’t need Vanya. He doesn’t need to talk to her or build up his relationship with her again. None of this really matters. This is for the bigger picture. He’s saving his siblings from the end of the world. These trivial moments of trust gaining and emotions are worthless.

They’re worthless.

Five shakes his head, disappearing in a flash to the familiar set of stairs. He climbs them once again, using each creak of a step to count backwards and calm the beating ache of his heart. With each exhale he reminds himself of the importance of the goal. He opens the door to his room, locking it behind him and moving to his desk. The knife is sloppily thrown onto the desk, his hand automatically going for a piece of chalk. He doesn’t hesitate to start writing onto the wall. His hand lightly trembles and he can’t help but curse softly at himself, fed up with his inability to handle this professionally.

He’s fine.

The mission is the only thing that matters.

It’d be great if his heart could agree with that statement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> : (
> 
> in other news, do you notice how much Five just randomly tosses stuff on the floor or away from him in the show when he's done with it? it's hilarious.


	14. II. Forte

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things go just as planned, and then not.

His father’s study seems much smaller without the man himself sitting at his desk, writing as if he’s running out of time. Five stares at Reginald Hargreeve’s desk with apathetic neutrality, eyes flicking up to the portrait of Reginald himself that hangs right behind it. Never let it be said that Reginald had no sense of pride. Five snorts to himself, turning towards his real purpose for entering the room.

A gleaming hunting rifle is displayed proudly on the mounted wall, the case standing upright in the corner. He removes the gun off its perch with both hands, hauling the gun as well as dragging the case up and onto the desk. He opens the latches of the case with two satisfying clicks, counting the number of bullets already inside. Satisfied, he places the gun into its traveling case, shutting it after. Apparently, the gun was used to take down a rhinoceros. It doesn’t surprise him that one of the only hobbies his father liked was hunting down prey and killing innocent animals to display as trophies.  Rather fitting. The old man probably would have done the same thing with his children if it wasn’t illegal.

Five tugs the case that’s almost as big as him out of the room. He has it all planned out. First, dispose of the initial swat team that come looking for him by planting the tracker in an artificial place and get the spring on them. Then, set up position to take out Leonard Peabody if the man happens to still be running his shop in the evening. If not, camp out until the morning and assassinate him with a perfect sniped shot. Finally, retrieve the dead man’s belongings. Or rather, obtain the journal that belongs to Reginald.

Regardless if Leonard is out of the way, that journal can’t fall into the wrong hands. It’s far too risky to simply let that be an unknown factor in this equation.

All in all, a very simple mission.

“Five?” calls a voice to him as he’s making his way to the entrance, Luther staring him down from the end of the room.

Should have taken the back way out.

“Don’t have time for you Number One.” Five announces tritely, not even stopping in his trek to the door.

“What are you carrying? Where did you get that?”

“It’s a guitar.” He snorts in dry amusement. “Vanya lent it to me.” He lies half-heartedly.

“Five.” Luther calls.

Five immediately jerks away from the large hand that grips his shoulder, turning to look up at his tall sibling in annoyance. He’s going to warp out in a moment if Luther doesn’t actually have anything important to say, which is likely.

“What do you want?” he demands impatiently, adjusting his grip on the case.

“You weren’t serious, were you? You were just joking when you said you’re going out to kill people.” Luther demands more than he’s actually asking, looking down at the case Five is carrying.

“Sure.” Five replies lightly, turning on his heel.

“You’re lying.”

“Brilliant skills of observation from our respectful leader.” Five quips sarcastically.

“How can you even act like that about such a topic? That’s-you’re talking about _murder_ , do you understand?” Luther reprimands. “What’s even going on? What’s all this about?”

Five turns his head to stare back at Luther with a subtle raise of an eyebrow, wondering at which part his brother had gotten lost when he previously mentioned the apocalypse.

“Five, you can talk to me.” His brother attempts, trying to soften his approach, the man trying to move closer to him.

It’s so obvious it’s just a tactic so Luther can get into his space and take the gun. The other man can’t hide his apprehension if his life depended on it, the hulking frame too gigantic to try and hide body language from a trained assassin.

“It’s what has to be done. So, I’m doing it. I _have_ to do it otherwise the world as we know it will come to an end. It truly boggles my mind at times at how small-minded you can be. I am _more_ than justified to handle this.” He replies impatiently.

For more reasons than one.

 “But that’s _murder_ , Five. The people you kill? That leaves a scar on our family name too, that brings all of us down. Dad always said in order to do what we do, that we have to have a co-”

“ _Jesus_ Luther, grow up.” Five chides dully. “This is bigger than you.” He explains, staring into his brother’s eyes with serious intention. “People will _die_ if I don’t take care of this. Our _family._ Why would your moral code matter if everyone, including these random people you’re so intent on defending, die anyway in a week?”

Luther stares down at him as if he’s looking at a stranger. In a way, maybe the man is. Even as children maybe that’s all they’ve ever been, strangers. Students trained under the same roof to work together and interact with each other, but never learning how to actually be a family. Maybe that’s why they are all such a mess. No matter how many combat skills they learned, or people they saved, they never learned how to truly love each other. But they are his family, whether they agree with that sentiment or not, so Five isn’t going to let that stop him from doing what he needs to.

“I’m sorry, I just…I can’t let you go through with this Five, even if your intentions are good.” Luther says after a moment, reaching out for the gun case.

“Good thing I don’t need your permission then.” Five grins sharply, disappearing in a flash before Luther can even blink.

What a waste of time. Morality has no place in his line of work. Luther only seems to think about things one step at a time, instead of looking at the big picture. Five simply can’t comprehend his brother’s stupidity when it comes to the greater good. One person for the safety of the world. A world with their family in it.

Surely, it isn’t a complicated decision.

“Five!” Luther shouts in anger, heavy footsteps jogging towards the door outside.

Five scoffs as he hears the door slam shut, moving through the halls of the house with focus. Apparently, the dunce hadn’t even considered that he might have just warped somewhere else inside. His brother’s tunnel vision is easy to take advantage of. Five climbs the stairs, moving to exit out of the fire escape entrance around the side, so as not to run into his angry sibling.

The sun is setting when he climbs out of the window and onto the fire escape. It engulfs the cramped streets and buildings in an orange glow. Instead of using the fire escape ladder to go down, Five climbs upwards, eventually reaching the roof of the building. He hauls up the case over the ledge with an exasperated grunt, pushing himself over the ledge and onto the rooftop.

The view takes his breath away.

It spans on for miles. Five stares down over the edge of the building to watch as people pass through the streets and go about their day. People just living their lives. People chatting with friends. People getting off of work. People complaining about the weather. Five steps back, turning to gaze out into the horizon. The sky is still cloudy from the previous rain, taking on purple and red hues as the sun descends to its resting place.

People are just, people. Flawed, kind, selfish, stupid. Just, people.

The world can be beautiful. There are pockets of happiness to find in the mundane. He wants to live in this stupid world. He wants his selfish siblings to be here on this planet with him. He wants, he wants, he wants.

He dreams.

He smiles with a shake of his head, lightly chiding himself for the sentimental thoughts that envelop him warmly. His hand grabs onto the handle of the rifle case, hauling it up with him. A simple life can’t be obtained without some work.

He runs, flashing into a warp as he leaps off of the rooftop. Five comes out on the other end, feet touching down on an entirely different building nearby. There’s a certain exhilaration to running across the rooftops of a city, the cold wind in his ears and the setting sun guiding his steps. When he finally deems himself satisfied with the location, he stops. The outskirts of Bricktown will serve their purpose for his fight. Then he can make his way further into the city where Leonard Peabody’s wood shop is located. From there it’s finding the perfect perch to line up a shot and some patience.

For now, though, it’s time to take care of the goons tracking him.

There’s a rooftop access door that can provide him opportunistic shelter, as it’s enclosed by a small building. The sun has set, the air icy without the light to warm up his skin. Five stretches, pulling the tracker out of his shorts pocket. He flicks it out of his hand, the little device hitting the ground with a small ting. He moves towards the wall of the roof door, setting down the bulky case and sidling down alongside it with his back against the wall.

He waits, recuperating his strength as night falls.

Time passes. The city skyline illuminates the dark sky, blurred lights shining across the horizon. Eventually, he hears the telltale sounds of his pursuers. Their footsteps are faint at first, muffled as they make their way up the stairwell and towards the roof exit door. Five gets to his feet without a word, hand brandishing Diego’s knife from his pocket. He slips around to the side of the roof access wall, leaning against it casually as he listens to the murmured voices.

The door is finally opened with a grating creak.

He waits.

They file through the door cautiously, guns at the ready. Five watches in faint amusement as the leader finally spies the tracker, its green light blinking in the darkness. The man leans down, plucking the device from the ground, back turned toward Five. Surveying the area, he notices one of the guard’s is still lingering around the doorway. The leader is the furthest away, with the other three guards loitering around the man awaiting their orders.

Perfect.

“Shit. He ditched the tracker. Where could he have gone?”

“Right behind you.” Five drones, flinging the knife straight into one of the loitering lackey’s skull.

Four left.

He warps over to the body before it has even fallen to the ground, pulling out the knife from his victim’s forehead. The rooftop erupts in gun fire. He wastes no time, flashing in front of another soldier, ramming into him with a harsh grunt. The poor fool goes right off the ledge with a horrified scream that echoes all the way down.

Three left.

Sprinting, Five pushes off of the ground into a warp. He reappears high, hands latching onto the rim of the small roof connected to the door and swings with forward momentum. His feet smash into the guard’s chest who is lingering in the doorway, sending the man tumbling harshly down a flight of stairs.

Two left.

He warps before he can hear the man land, his feet touching down on top of the hut. Five leers down at the two men left, readying the knife as they both redirect their aims at him.

“Stop Number Five! It doesn’t have to be this way!” the man in command shouts. “Just come quietly and we won’t-“

Five leaps towards the last guard with vicious speed. They fire at his airborne form but he simply warps through both of them, coming around on the other side. He turns with the blade, embedding it into the back of the commander’s head. In the same breath he seizes hold of the man’s gun from behind, firing it straight into the last guard’s back.

Zero left.

Mission complete.

Wait-one left.

“Godammit.” He pants in agitation, shoving the dead body away from him.

Five moves across the rooftop with heavy exhales, stepping over the bodies and making his way towards the roof door. He peeks down the stairwell to see guard he threw down there still laying there, a small groan of pain falling out of the man’s lips. With a roll of his eyes, he casually makes his way down the steps, feet echoing throughout the cramped area in an ominous calling.

Five bends down, snapping the man’s neck with an exerted huff.

There.

He dusts himself off and straightens his tie. A much smoother interaction than the last time. This is more on par of quality that he prefers. Five climbs the stairs back out onto the rooftop, breathing in a deep inhale of night air. He pulls out Diego’s blade from the back of his victim’s head, cleaning the bloodied blade on the man’s shirt before pocketing it back in his shorts. The gun case is still right where he left it, untouched even in the excitement of battle. He picks it up with an exasperated grunt, already sick of lugging it around.

“Five!” a familiar female voice calls out to him over the cold wind. “Did you-oh my god, did you do all of this? Are you okay?”

Five turns.

Luther and Allison are standing across from him with apprehensive eyes.

“How did you- _what_ are you doing here?” he demands.

“Put down the gun Five.” Luther commands, Allison standing at his side with a troubled gaze. “Or we’ll make you.”

They’ll make him? Did Luther and Allison realize that they essentially each brought their own biggest weakness to a battle? Each other? Five watches the two in disbelief, wondering why of all siblings to interrupt this, it would be them. What sort of morality pitch did his brother give to Allison to make her follow along? More importantly, why would Luther even want her along? Doesn’t he care about her safety? His overprotective compulsions are contradicting this strange team up now.

What are they doing here?

“You have _no_ idea what you’re asking me to do.” Five promises grimly, facing his siblings straight on with dark eyes. “Get _out_ of my way.”

Luther takes a step forward, rising to the challenge. “You’ll have to go through us.”

Five sighs, shaking his head in disappointment. He drops the case with a dull thud, raising a hand to his temples. The wind howls harshly above the streets of the city.

“If you _insist._ ” He relents coldly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had more I wanted to add onto this chapter, but this will have to do for now because of the circumstances. I have some unfortunate news. 
> 
> As of now, I've been updating this fic at a very quick pace, a chapter every single day really. My temp job has ended meaning I am without a source of reliable income. I'm sorry. I'm not giving up on the story of course, and I won't be going on hiatus or anything! I just won't be able to upload as quick as I would normally because of my financial situation. I need to focus on somehow trying to find a way to pay my rent for my apartment and pool all my energy into getting a job. :'( 
> 
> I hope you guys won't mind waiting a little longer than the usual pace. Your comments have helped motivate me and encourage me so much, I love seeing what you like in every chapter! <3
> 
> Until next chapter darlings!!


	15. II. Cacophony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Five thinks on the fly. A lot.

“So that’s how it’s going to be?” Luther starts.

Five can already feel his patience snap. He’s been through enough today without needing his siblings to engage in a moral speech about things they don’t understand. The lack of any trust within this family makes everything so messy.

“You aren’t exactly giving me an option, Number One” he barks back. “I think I’ve mentioned more than once now that this is for the fate of _humanity_ , what don’t you seem to understand about that?”

“You can’t Five, it’s just not right.” Luther retorts in frustration. “This isn’t what we’re about.”

“And what are _we_ about exactly? Please enlighten me, I’d just love to know what you think we as a _family_ stand for.” Five snaps, agitated.

This would be so much easier if they could just trust in him.

“Five, just-just come home with us and we can talk, okay?” Allison tries imploringly, almost sweet in her approach compared to Luther. “We just don’t want you, or anyone else to get hurt.”

Unfortunately for her, he isn’t swayed by sweet little nothings. Sugary words that are only used to get what they want is what Allison’s entire foundation is based upon. Her career. Her relationship. Her family. Her fortune. It’s all one big lie based on the power she was born with instead of the talent she has.

“As you can see, I’m _fine,_ though apparently even if I wasn’t, you’d still demand me to come crawling back to you like some sort of chided child.” He grins sharply, knowing there’s no warmth in his smile.

“That’s not what this is.” Allison protests, tucking some wayward strands behind her ear. "We just-"

“I don’t _need_ your approval for what I’m going to do. I think the real question here is, are you really going to try and fight me about it? _Harm_ me?” Five asks, disbelief lining his words.

The rooftop is silent at a standstill.

Luther straightens his stand, eyes unwavering. “If that’s what it takes to do what’s _right_.”

Five watches passively as Luther turns his head towards Allison. The two share a silent conversation with their eyes before turning back to him. Allison stares with conflict, a strange look of guilt in her eyes.

Oh.

They are really willing to go that far?

“Don’t. You. _Dare._ ” Five grits out.

Allison opens her mouth.

“I heard a- “

Her words are cut off by a knife grazing past her face, a shocked inhale tumbling out of her lips. Five wastes no time using his thrown distraction as a chance. He uses his foot to propel the gun case off of the rooftop completely, jumping off of the ledge along with it into a free fall. The wind whips harshly across his face as he snatches the handle midair, blue energy rippling around him into a warp. He hits the ground running on a different rooftop, breaths coming out harshly in effort. The case is too big to run easily with, slowing his agile movement down considerably. Luther’s shout of anger echo across the rooftops, heavy footsteps now in pursuit of him.

He’s at a disadvantage here.

Allison’s power is too unpredictable. On a regular day, Five might be more willing to entertain a spar, but his powers are already drained from the previous fight. It’d be a losing battle to outright engage his siblings right now. A more practical plan is to evade his siblings and move further into the city. Leonard’s shop is only a couple buildings away. If he can spot the man, he can line up a shot and kill him before his siblings even reach him. The mission needs to be prioritized over a pointless brawl about shaky morals. As he runs across the building, Five scans the streets below, looking for the signature sign of the shop.

He just needs a perch across from the shop to give him the perfect angle. That is, if Leonard is even inside.

“Five! Stop!” Luther shouts.

He doesn’t stop.

He forces himself through another warp to create more distance between, a haggard grunt falling out of his mouth as he stumbles out onto another building. His powers are reaching their limit, and his stamina is faltering. Five drops the case, quickly undoing the latches and pulling the rifle out. Screw the case, he only needs one shot anyways.

A loud thud signals Luther’s arrival on the roof.

“Shit.” Five curses, grabbing the now empty case in frantic thought.

He whirls it around, using its heavy momentum to fling it into his brother’s face, turning and bolting across the rooftop. Luther easily catches it in his hands, momentarily confused at his brother's actions. Allison is gracefully joining the other at his side, her acrobatic skills not challenged even in heels. Just in lack of training after all these years.

“Dammit Five!” Luther curses, tossing the case aside once he realizes it’s empty.

He’s running out of time.

Leonard’s shop sits innocently down across the street from him, the warm lights glowing in the windows signifying the man is still inside. Hope blossoms in his heart as he runs towards the ledge of the roof he’s on, sweat on his forehead chilled with the weather. Five skids into a crouch, cocking the rifle frantically as he pulls the gun up at the ready. He stares down the scope with a deep inhale. Leonard’s silhouette doesn’t come into view and Five can hear his brother’s footsteps pounding closer to him.

The window of opportunity is closing.

He feels the displacement of air before he sees the man. It gives him just enough time to react, ducking under Luther’s reaching hand. Five jabs the butt of the rifle into his brother’s stomach with a grunt. It’s like hitting a brick wall. Utterly ineffective. His brother’s arms go to circle around him as an attempt to simply lock him into an iron grip. With a strained grit of his teeth, Five forces a warp through the other, coming out behind Luther with trembling legs. He wheezes, clutching the gun to his chest tightly as he wills himself not to fall to his knees.

“I can do this all day Five. You’re not going to win this battle.” Luther turns, knowing he has the advantage.

His reactions aren’t quick enough, dulled by too much exhaustion from the intensive battling and running. Luther’s shoulder rams into his back, taking his breath away. Five harshly falls with angry exclamation, scraping his palms and knees as he slams onto the harsh pavement of the roof.

“Get. _Off!_ ” he commands angrily as Luther pins him down, his brother moving to maneuver the gun from underneath him in the fall.

Five fusses and struggles as much as he can, kicking his feet and clinging to the rifle with all the strength he can manage. He can hear Luther mutter angrily under his breath, the man wrenching one of his hands behind his back.

“Stop! It’s over.” Luther orders sternly. “It’s _over_ Five.”

It’s not over.

He growls, his hands glowing blue in an attempt to warp. He’s met with a familiar and painful resistance that signifies he’s reached his limit. He tries again and is only met with more kickback, his insides swirling with protest. Five allows himself to fall limp, exhaustion overtaking his body in resignation. His forehead lightly scrapes against the concrete as he shuts his eyes in humiliated anger. It can’t end like this. He was so close. He _is_ so close.

“You’ve exhausted yourself.” Luther says with a resigned sigh, Five able to hear the frown in the man’s words. “Was all this trouble worth it? Look at you.”

“Shut up.” He grits. “You have no idea, _none_ of you do. Everything I’m doing is to _keep_ you and this whole world, alive!”

Luther eventually tugs on his shoulder, turning him around so he’s pinned onto back instead of being forced into the ground on his chest. The crouched man tugs the gun away with finality, staring down at him with a frustrated gaze.

“I didn’t want to fight like this Five. I know you’re smart, intelligent. Can’t you understand why I couldn’t allow you to do this?”

Five doesn’t answer, instead answering with a thrust of his fist. Luther catches his hand before it hits him with slightly widened eyes, surprised at the audacity Five had to even try to catch him off guard.

“Don’t try that again.” He warns quietly, squeezing Five’s closed hand in threat before releasing his grip. “Come on. We’re taking you home.”

Five tenses, a raw anger flooding through his veins. “I’m not a child! How _dare_ you treat me as if- “

“It doesn’t matter how old you are at this point!” Luther yells back, patience now tested and snapped. “You’re a _threat_ , Five. A threat to civilians! The very people we used to fight for! There’s no way I would let you roam free after seeing how far you almost took it!”

Allison watches everything like a shadow, her silhouette dark as she takes it all in. She eventually moves to take the gun from Luther, moving to place it back into its case. He’s harshly hauled up to his wobbly feet, his face warm with seething anger at the humiliation. Luther has a hold of both his shoulders in an iron grip, making his chest tighten with anxiety.

“Luther, take it easy.” She soothes softly, looking at Five with pitying eyes. “It’s over now.”

Warm, maternal eyes.

An advantage.

Five falsely stumbles, feeling Luther automatically support his weight, a large hand on his back. He exhales out a shaky breath, allowing his posture to relax in defeat, making it seem like the adrenaline has worn off.

“I didn’t want to hurt anyone.” He mutters. “But you weren’t _listening_ , so I decided I’d do it alone. I’ve been alone for so long, I don’t…” he trails off, clenching his jaw and looking down at the ground.

His siblings are silent.

“I don’t know how to ask for help anymore. I don’t know how to be around people.” He admits, allowing some truths to fall out in his little tactic.

Allison looks at Luther with heartbroken eyes, looking at Five the way she might look at her own daughter if she was struggling. Luther silently flounders in return, trying to find the right words to suddenly correct the situation that's suddenly become emotional. Five slumps in exhaustion, playing up his pitiful smallness in comparison to the other adults.

He’s just a kid. A pitiful misguided kid.

Sure.

“You-You should have explained. This whole, apocalypse thing you mentioned, and then you just took off.” Luther mutters in a stern tone, his grip loosening slightly. “You always think you're better than us, but I know you’re a good person Five. I heard you say you were doing it for us, and I don’t think you would have fought so hard if you didn’t truly believe that what you were doing was for the right reason.” The man sighs.

Allison makes her way towards the two brothers. She reaches out hesitantly, placing a manicured hand onto his hair and lightly running through the dark chocolate strands there. Five shies away from the comforting touch.

“Hey, we’ll talk when we get home about all of this, okay? We’re okay. You’ll be okay too, Five.” She soothes kindly.

He says nothing.

Allison relinquishes her hold on the case, allowing Luther to take it from her silently. The man still has a hand on Five’s shoulder, but it’s more guiding than imprisoning. Luther already seems to deem him no longer a threat, underestimating the power of Five’s ire. That’s the thing about leaders. They always underestimate the people under them. The three slowly make their way across the rooftop, Luther on his left and Allison on his right. He takes in their position gravely, noticing the Allison is the closest to the ledge of the building. Five flicks his gaze back over to Leonard’s shop, holding his breath as a silhouette moves past the wide glass windows. Perfect. Confirmation of target inside.

Now is the time to act.

“Sorry.” He mutters, shoulder checking into Allison harshly with all of his weight.

Not expecting the sudden impact, her entire center of gravity is shaken, the woman tripping with a yell. Luther shouts in alarm, dropping everything to sprint for his sister who is far too close to the ledge for him not to panic. She won’t fall. It’s calculated. That’s what they get for fighting alongside one another. Five can’t feel bad for exploiting the easy weakness there.

The gun case falls with a thud as his brother sprints past to help steady her. Five wastes no time. He wrenches open the case with a shaky exhale, tugging out the rifle and sprinting away from the two. He’s so close. He’s so close to a real victory.

“ _Five!_ ” Luther roars in blind rage, the compromising of Allison’s safety the final thread to snap in the man’s patience.

His mind moves rapidly, trying to figure out how to come out of this with a win, even if it means facing the consequences of his actions later. He skids to a stop, bringing up the rifle to stare down the zoomed scope as he tries to frantically locate where Leonard is in the shop. No time, his brother’s steps are already thudding closer, beating in time with his heartbreak. With a grit of his teeth, he whirls around, turning his aim onto Luther with cold eyes.

“Don’t move any closer.” he warns, keeping his aim.

“You don’t want to do that, Five.” Luther explains calmly, holding up his large hands to appear as less of a threat. “You know I can walk off a bullet…just put down the gun.” He orders calmly, but the rage in his eyes cannot be hidden.

“Not if its embedded in your _head._ ”

Luther freezes in cold anticipation, the implications of his own brother shooting him in the face causing him pause. The telltale clicks of Allison shoes slowly get louder, as the woman finally catches up with her two brothers. Their silhouettes are dark, the city lights only illuminating one side of their bodies.

“What the hell is _wrong_ with you!?” she shouts, her voice echoing across the cold wind, her dark eyes burning into his own.

“You have the _nerve_ to tell me what I can or can’t do, when you were about to rumor me into submission?” he barks in a slowly growing rage. He clenches his jaw, the cold wind causing him to shiver. “None of you have any _idea_ what’s going on! You’re so busy pushing your agenda onto each other that you can’t see what’s in front of you!”

“You are walking down a path you _cannot_ come back from Five.” Luther promises grimly. “Don’t become the monster you’re trying to stop.”

Five mulls on the phrase for a while, a slow angry smile coming onto his lips. He laughs out a breathy chuckle of disbelief, hunching over for a moment as he grins. He cocks the gun with a loud click.

“I’m already a monster.” He promises.

He’s just a monster who also loves his family.

He swiftly rotates, lining up his sights in familiar muscle memory even in this body. His eyes rapidly lock onto a familiar black silhouette who is sitting at the woodcarving station. His finger starts to the press on the trigger.

“I heard a rumor that you can’t kill an innocent person!” Allison screams.

His limbs lock up in surprise.

Silence.

The wind howls.

Five huffs out a breathy laugh as he pulls the trigger without hesitation.

“ _NO!_ ” Luther shouts, hand outstretched.

The gun fires,  bullet whizzing straight through the window and embedding itself right into the man’s skull. Leonard’s body slumps, falling heavily off of his seat and onto the floor.

Dead.

A perfect shot.

“Guess you haven’t rumored in a bit huh?” Five cracks a dim smile, pulling away from the gun as he straightens. “Pretty rusty wording you just muttered, a bit too specific, don’t you think? There's not a single _thing_ that's innocent about the man I just killed.”

Luther is staring down at the streets below, his mouth slightly open in horrified shock. Allison is watching him with an unsettled expression, her hand moving up to cover her mouth in guilt at her failure. He doesn’t expect Luther to grab him at the neck, choking him out with a grit of his teeth. Five forcibly stays relaxed, refusing to raise his hands to clutch at his brother’s hand. It wouldn’t make a difference anyways.

“ _You_ , you-“ Luther seethes, tightening his grip on Five’s neck.

“Stop Luther!! _God_ just  _stop!_ ” Allison shouts, too emotionally wracked with devastation to deal with more family discourse. “I'm done. Just-it's _over_. Let's go back.”

Luther’s hand loosens. Five stares defiantly up at him. The larger man hangs his head in defeat, releasing him.

“Dammit Five. _Godammit_.” The man whispers.

He wheezes in an inhale, the black spots dancing across his vision eventually fading away. Five wipes a shaky forearm across his forehead, feeling the disarray of his hair and the cold sweat on his wrist. This time his stumble is genuine when Luther wrenches his hands behind his back.

“We need to keep him awake for questioning while his powers are depleted. We can’t do it later otherwise he’ll escape.” Luther grits, pushing Five to walk forward.

Allison says nothing, putting a hand to her forehead in disappointed resignation.

The walk back is grueling. Luther simply hauls him over his shoulder like a limp sack of potatoes as the older siblings maneuver across the rooftops. Eventually they find a building with easy access to the ground floor. The air is tense with silence as Five listens to the harsh clangs of their feet on metal. He’s finally set down to walk on his own after they touch down. The trio maneuver through the back alleyways and cramped roads, Luther keeping a grip so hard on his shoulder that it might rip out of his socket if he does anything but comply.

He forgot the book.

Five inhales in surprise, stuttering in his steps at the horrific epiphany. Luther harshly pushes him forward, a bruising grip nearing his collarbone.

“Don’t even try.” The man hisses.

He doesn’t have Reginald’s journal. He can’t believe he’s forgotten something so crucial in the mission. The authorities can’t get their hands on that. _No one_ can get their hands on that. The journal is devastatingly crucial for everyone to believe him as well. How could he convince Vanya to learn to embrace and control her powers if there’s no proof? How could he show them that Leonard had possessed the journal all along? His mind whirls as they continue their trek, the familiar street of their house finally moving into view at last.

“Well, well, _well!_ ” Rings a familiar voice. “A family outing and I wasn’t invited?”

The three turn to the source of the sound, finding Klaus smoking a joint as the man leans against the alley brick wall. Klaus gives them a lazy grin and a salute as he takes them all in. When his hazel eyes reach Five that amusement fades, slowly growing into light confusion as he flicks to Luther’s white-knuckled grip.

“What uh-what’d the little rascal do?”

“Try killing multiple people.” Luther grits, jerking him forward.

Klaus raises an eyebrow, looking down at Five with a curious squint. It's getting more difficult to maintain composure when Luther's constant touch feels like its burning into his skin. He attempts to jerk away and is rewarded with another harsh shove. He stumbles again before slowly righting himself. The adrenaline has far worn off by now. His body is protesting.

“Hey hey _hey_ -take it easy big guy. Looks like he’s not exactly going anywhere.” Klaus defends with a frown, straightening up.

“Klaus just-we don’t have time for your- _you_.” Allison says tiredly, massaging her temples.

Klaus puts a hand to his heart, eyes wide in mock offense. “Ouch. I’m _hurt,_ dear Allison.”

_“What happened! He looks exhausted and hurt, and his poor knees! Klaus-“_

Five blinks forcibly, turning his head in confusion towards Ben’s voice.

“Yeah yeah yeah okay, but…” Klaus trails off, eyes widening as he takes in Five’s form again. “Jesus kid, what’d they do to you?” he frowns, stepping forward in front of him.

“Klaus.” Luther frowns sternly.

“Yeah no-you know what? Why don’t you just take a chill pill for a second okay? Like, what is he gunna do? Look at him!” Klaus grins, gesturing to Five’s disheveled form.

Luther bristles. “He tried to _kill-_ “

“It was a calculated action to get you to let me _go_ , you idiot!” Five interrupts heatedly. “Do you really think I hadn’t done the math?” Five bites back. “You told me to submit otherwise you’d use force and then you rumored me!” he seethes, still angry from the embarrassment of that near-failure.

“That’s _different_ Five! We were trying to stop you from hurting others!” Allison retorts emotionally.

“As if you can act _justified_ about what you did.” Five seethes, voice quiet with anger. “Manipulating your own family to follow your personal agenda.”

“Oh, and what is _your_ agenda, Five? _Murder_?” Luther barks.

“ _Yes!_ To kill the person responsible for the start of the apocalypse!” Five glares, gritting his teeth as he stares up at his brother. He jerks angrily in Luther’s harsh grip.

Luther releases him with hard eyes and a tense frame. It’s almost as if the man wants to be challenged just to have the excuse to fight.

“This isn't like our childhood anymore! There aren’t good guys and bad guys Luther! There are just, _people_!” he yells angrily, turning to fully face his brother’s looming figure.

“ _Innocent_ people!”

Five holds his ground, staring up into his brother’s eyes with intent. “ _People_ who carve cute little wooden figures in their shop, and use that to hide their manipulation and deceit. _People_ who come from a broken childhood, but then choose not to let it define them. _People_ who _kill_ but who do it to protect their family! Your _world_ isn’t black and white!” he shouts, flinging his arms out to gesture around them.

Klaus holds up his hands with wide eyes, the burst of tension flying from everyone’s mouths overwhelming. “ _Woah_ -okay, let’s just- “

Luther grabs his wrist, tugging it to get him to stumble forward. “And you’re saying you’re justified killing all those men tonight. You think you’re somehow the judge of who gets to live and who gets to die?”

“The only reason you’re not agreeing with me is because you _know_ as well as I do, if you actually opened your damn eyes, you’d realize all this time that dad did-“

The hand on his wrist tightens, and Five winces, cutting off his words. He can feel the bones grind together in strain.

“ _Don’t._ ” Luther warns quietly.

“Hey-woah wait-just- “Klaus calls, a thread of concern sneaking into his voice.

_“Klaus, do something!”_

“That dad did the _same_ thing. He judged the world. He chose who got to live, and _die_ , and suffer for his _own_ agenda.” Five smiles bitterly. “Except he didn’t just do it himself did he? He got kids to do his work for him.” he sneers, allowing his resentment to pour into his words.

Luther winds back his arm and Five thinks he might die by a single punch of all things. It’s a very pathetic way to go.

“Luther! Don't!” Allison exclaims.

_“KLAUS!”_

“Stop!” Klaus shouts, stepping in front of Five, his arm flung out in front of his shorter brother’s chest protectively.

Luther stops.

“ _Je-esus!_ As much as I’m a fan of watching siblings beat each other up, it feels a little wrong to abuse a kid. Right?” Klaus grins, body practically thrumming with nervous amusement. "I mean let's not go for the whole child abuse route you know what I mean? I think we already had enough of that back in the day." he laughs with a high trilling noise.

Luther breathes harshly through his nostrils, his rage already dimming into hurt. His hand drops to his side as he looks to Allison with lost eyes, unable to figure out how to take control of the situation. Their sister just shakes her head.

“Luther, the damage has been done. Please just…let’s just be done with it.” She whispers, shaking her head.

She doesn’t wait for the man to answer, instead hugging herself and making her way around to the front entrance of the house. Luther watches her go with a forlorn gaze, turning his attention back to Klaus and Five with defeat. In the end, the man doesn’t say anything, turning in guilty resignation to enter the house and mull over the ways he’s failed his father tonight.

“Holy _shit._ ” Klaus breathes out shakily, running a shaky hand through his dark unruly locks. “Mentioning dear old dad? Are you trying to get yourself killed or what?” he murmurs with a laugh, turning back to look down at Five with a wobbly grin.

His heart aches.

_“What are you doing? Hug him, look at his face.”_

“Look shorty I uh- “Klaus approaches awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “We should probably talk about that whole…thing with your chest and the hearing thing that happened earlier.” Klaus frowns, giving Five a once over. “Your hand and wrists too…” he mumbles with a concerned furrow of his brow

_“Klaus, hug him faster.”_

Klaus lightly crouches down to meet him at eye level. The man gives him a lazy lopsided smile, but those vivid hazel eyes shine with sharp attention. Five allows him to glance over the multitude of scrapes and bruises he’s already accumulated over the course of the evening with a disapproving hum.

He misses Klaus so much.

_“Are you blind? Can you not read him well? Well I can, so GIVE HIM A- “_

Klaus hugs him.

Five inhales deeply, closing his eyes at the gentler arms of his brother wrapping around him affectionately. He stays stiff in the embrace, fists clenching and releasing as he fights the urge to just lay it all bare to one of the only people that had believed in him the first time around. He listens to his brother's heartbeat beat steadily away, a reminder of the very life he's trying so hard to fight for. It's comforting.

 _“It’s okay Five. Whatever you’re up to, we trust you.”_ Ben says softly, even though he knows he can’t be heard.

Five can hear him.

He allows himself a moment of weakness. Just a moment.

Five wraps his arms around his brother, leaning into the hug with tired submission. His fingers clutch at the man’s jacket, closing his eyes and breathing in the warmth and kindness the other exudes. Just a moment. He pulls away, but Klaus just hugs him tighter with a hum.

“Can’t just hug me back then do takesie backsies.” The man grins.

“Stop hugging me.” Five demands dully, ignoring the ache in his heart.

Klaus relents, releasing him with a dramatic sigh. “You okay, kid?”

“Don’t call me that.” He mutters.

The man snorts in amused disbelief, shaking his head. Maybe it would be okay to talk to Klaus. Now that Leonard Peabody is dead, the main issue has been eradicated. The only thing he really needs to do now is prove to his siblings that the man had Reginald’s journal and was going to use it for his own person gain.

The journal.

“ _Shit._ ” He breathes.

“What, you alright? You injured? Well-you’re definitely injured, but are you injured in a gotta take you to emerg-“

“I need you to get me cab.” Five requests.

Klaus raises an interested eyebrow. “ _Oh?_ And where, pray tell are we going?”

“I need to go somewhere.”

“Well, where are _we_ going?”

Five sighs in defeat. “We’re going to get the important documents you threw in the dumpster, Klaus.”

A pause.

“Oh. Yeah okay-good idea.”

_"Great idea."_

Five fights down an amused smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -fans self- hooo LORRRDD this is a biggun! We got some good moments in this chapter yes we DO. or at least I hope so!! This one really goes off the rails lmao canon? barely know her.


	16. II. Adagio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Five is tired, and Ben is heard.

There’s an arm wrapped around his shoulders. His head is resting on something soft, but it has a firmness to it. Five doesn’t realize he’s almost fallen asleep in the cab until he feels his pillow slightly shift under him. His awareness slowly comes into play as his brain sluggishly connects it to breathing.

Klaus.

Five jerks into jumbled awareness, body so badly wanting to sleep but unable to fully commit to the rest he needs due to his own stubborn mind. His blurred vision focuses to find himself in the back of the cab, the city streets scrolling by. Apparently, he had slumped against Klaus at some point. He doesn’t know when that happened.

_“Dammit. I thought he almost fell asleep for a second. He needs it, he looks exhausted.”_

“ _Aw~_ ” Klaus coos softly in endearment, the hand around Five pulling him a bit closer to the man’s body.

“What?” Five croaks in disorientation, pushing himself off of his brother’s shoulder in growing awareness.

“Thought you might have dozed off, but looks like you’re so uptight that you can’t even fall asleep.” Klaus teases with a lazy smile.

Embarrassed, he plucks the man’s hand off of his person, allowing Klaus to retract his arm and drape it over the back of the seat instead. Five puts some distance between him and his brother, squishing himself against the window. He pointedly stares out of it and Klaus chuckles in response.

It’s humiliating.

 _“Don’t tease him. He’s tired and apparently has been in some dangerous situations today. Maybe you should actually ask him to elaborate about what’s been going on.”_ Ben chides.

Five wonders if Ben is a mother hen to everyone or if for some reason it’s only directed at him.

His heart feels a bit warm at the thought regardless.

“Soooo. How do you know where the uh, important things are that I might have, perhaps, by some crazy freak _accident_ , thrown away?” Klaus approaches cautiously, running a tongue along the front of his teeth.

Five looks over to Klaus with a raise of his eyebrow and a dull expression.

 _“It’s so nice that someone else has to put up with you now, and not just me. Maybe Five can help you develop a brain cell of your own!”_ Ben teases.

Klaus grins innocently.

“Because I’ve been here before.” He mumbles honestly, running a tired hand over his face. “And after you apparently throw the journal and papers away, someone takes it and they use it for their own personal gain.”

Klaus just frowns, raising an eyebrow in interest.

Five is pretty sick of explaining this over and over. He allows himself a deep breath, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture as he stares back out the window. Unexpectedly, Klaus grabs his wrist, pulling his hand over. Five jerks his head over to stare at him in surprised perplexity, tugging lightly in refusal. Klaus grips on it tighter though, bringing Five’s hand up closer for inspection.

“What happened to your hand here?” he asks, flicking his hazel eyes up to level Five with a stare.

Five tugs his arm harder in angry befuddlement, untangling it from his brother’s grasp.

“Just a bit scraped from concrete. It’s irrelevant.”

“I’m talking about the gash across your _entire_ palm that’s been there since day one.” Klaus presses with a tight smile.

Five breathes, hesitantly opening his palm to stare at his hand. It’s a bit scraped up, raw from harshly falling onto the pavement, but there’s no cut to speak of. That hadn’t happened this time through.

“There’s nothing there. You’re imagining things, because you’re _high._ ” he bites with a roll of his eyes.

“Why bother lying, dear?” Klaus smiles lazily with a quicker retort than usual. “You’re a plenty smart cookie. Playing dumb doesn’t seem like your style, I gotta say.” The man laughs lightly, but his eyes are searching Five intently, knowingly.

 _“Klaus...”_ Ben starts hesitantly _. “It might not be the right time to push about this particular subject- “_

Klaus waves him off in light agitation.

“Five, _why_ are you- “

“I’m _not._ ” Five snaps.

There’s a silence throughout the cab, and Five can only be thankful that there’s a small divider between them and the driver. Klaus seems to mull over the denial slowly, scratching his chin in thought.

“Hey…” Klaus starts tenderly. “Just tell me what _happened._ You know I believe you, yeah?” his brother eventually asks, his voice a gentle timbre. “Nothing is too crazy for your big bro Klaus.”

Five hates gentle things. Softly spoken words, tender smiles, gentle eyes. He hates it. It all makes him feel as if he’s been opened up and exposed to the world, showing all of his weaknesses and vulnerabilities. He hates gentle things.

He hates it because he doesn’t understand it.

He hates it because he doesn’t deserve it.

His hand automatically rubs at his chest. It’s unnecessary. He’s alive. He’s breathing. This sort of nervous habit is an indicator of weakness. An exploit. And yet, he clutches at the fabric tightly anyways before forcing himself to release his clawed grip.

“I died.” He admits bluntly, not knowing how else to approach such a topic.

Klaus breathes a heavy inhale, letting that sentence sink in fully.

The cab feels stifling.

“ _Okay._ ” Klaus accepts slowly. “Okay…but you’re…” he starts, reaching out and setting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Yes. I’m alive _now_.” He mutters, brushing the man’s hand off with a softer force than usual. “But I died in a previous timeline, failed I suppose. Then I woke up again, and…” he trails off.

And.

And what?

He doesn’t know, and that’s what scares him. He doesn’t know why he woke up again. He doesn’t know why he’s back to the day of his father’s funeral. He doesn’t know why this is his third time doing this. Why had he somehow been transported back here? It didn’t even make sense in the context, as he had died. He hadn’t used his powers to go back in time. He had just, died.

He’s always had answers, but he doesn’t have them now.

_“Hug him. He’s frightened.”_

He’s not that open of a book, is he? Klaus looks conflicted, as if he’s mulling the action over, but not wanting to press too hard. It’s humiliating. Or it would be, if it wasn’t Klaus. Someone who, for some reason, actually cares about him regardless of the scenario.

“Could I hug you, maybe?” Klaus tries with a sheepish smile.

Five slowly shakes his head in refusal, throat feeling tight. This sort of thing couldn’t be agreed to when it was made a choice, regardless of his preference. He’s already allowed too many moments for himself.

He nibbles on his lip, wondering if he should stick to staying as detached as possible, or if he should try and allow Klaus and Ben in once again. They had been good to him last time. They believed him. Now that Leonard was out of the way, there wasn’t an immediate threat about the apocalypse.

It annoys him, that he even has to debate with himself internally like this. It’s proof he’s getting soft. He shouldn’t be trying to make compromises with his own self, it’s foolish.

 _“You should hug him anyways.”_ Ben huffs, as if he’s disappointed in Klaus for being considerate.

He’s so tired. Can’t he just try to put his trust in someone? Klaus and Ben had never been the problem the first time.

Five turns his head away, resolutely staring out the window. His hand however, reaches for his brother’s hand in tentative hesitation. He can hear Klaus hum in question as their palms bump together. Five allows their fingers to slowly intertwine with one another, a soft exhale falling out of his lips.

This is okay.

He likes knowing his sibling is there in the moment. Living. Breathing. Surviving.

“ _Oh_.” Klaus breathes tenderly, his bony fingers intertwining and curling tightly back in response.

“You were the only one there for me when I…” Five swallows, watching the dark streets pass by in a blur. “When I had to start over again. You and Ben.” He murmurs.

Klaus is silent for a moment. “So then, you already know about- “

“I think I might be able to hear him too.” Five admits softly, turning to look at Klaus hesitantly.

 _“He can…hear me?”_ Ben asks in a breathless tone.

That shouldn’t make sense. The man doesn’t need to breathe after all, he’s dead.

“During our little rainy rendezvous in the yard! You _did_ hear him then?” Klaus asks eagerly, a slow smile widening on his face.

Fives nods.

_“Five…?”_

He turns towards the source of the voice. It’s annoying he can’t see Ben even though he can hear him, even if the man’s voice is slightly muffled.

“Oh _shit_ , wait you really _can_.” Klaus whispers with an awed smile.

“It sounds a bit strange but yes, I can.” He mutters. “I cannot see you however...” he mutters, addressing Ben directly.

Ben is silent in response. Five feels as if he might have done something wrong. Anything he’s about to say is cut off by the cab slowing to its destination. Five pushes open the door, while Klaus fumbles in his pockets with a disappointed groan. He’s probably using the rest of his drug money to pay for the cab, choosing to forgo his usual nightly activity to follow him around the city.

It makes him feel loved.

Five shuts the cab door, blinking to orient his blurry vision. He should have eaten more than an apple. Apparently, he hadn’t learned his lesson from last time. Five slowly makes his way onto the sidewalk, feet idly stepping into a puddle of leftover rain. He requested an address about a block away from Leonard’s shop, not wanting to pull up right at the address directly in case there’s already law enforcement patrolling the scene.

If he’s lucky they haven’t arrived yet.

He breathes deeply, allowing the cold air to ground him. It’s too cold, but he doesn’t mind it as much as he should. He’s spent so long being sifting through smoke and fire that even though he’s shivering, he’s not back there. That’s all that really matters.

_“Five?”_

Five turns around in surprise at the sound of Ben’s voice.

“Ben.” He greets to empty air, not understanding the sudden spike of anxiety that makes his heart skip a beat.

 _“You can really hear me. Oh my god.”_ Ben breathes, a hint of laughter echoing through the air.

He nods, speechless. What does he say? What can he possibly say to Ben?

Ben, who was his best friend besides Vanya. Ben, who would laugh about literature and novels in the dead of night far past curfew with him. Ben, who would adamantly declare that Five had the softest eyes out of all the siblings, its just the others didn’t look hard enough. Ben, who would rub his back when he was puking or heaving his guts out after being forced into chaining his warps far past what he could handle. Ben, who always searched for him when he needed a hug or someone to ground him when the darkness was getting too crowded in his head.

Ben who he had never gotten to say goodbye to.

His expression crumples before he can control it, the hurt shimmering in his eyes before he ducks his face down into his palm, angrily rubbing at one of his eyes. He’s tired. He’s emotional. His composure is more than a little cracked.

_“Hey-hey don’t cry, this is a great thing…it is!”_

“I’m _not_.” He says tensely, his voice cracking lightly in emotion.

_“I’m sorry. You must be going through so much. But...Well I’m also selfish, so I can’t help but be elated we can talk to each other. I’ve missed you Five. So much.”_

Ben always had a knack for being gentle too. Maybe it’s why he can’t help but love and hate it so much. Even though the man’s voice is older and not the familiar one he grew up with, there isn’t any doubt that it’s Ben. No one else could say such a thing and mean it so whole-heartedly in a way that makes Five’s heart glow with warmth.

He can only nod, swallowing thickly. He’s a coward. He doesn’t know what to say, because there’s too much he wants to say. He wants so much for Ben to know how sorry he is for not being there for him. For not being there in the end.

Maybe if he had been there, his brother wouldn’t have died at all.

Or maybe that’s his delusions of grandeur talking again.

_“Hey. C’mon. You pick tonight. I think I deserve one after all this time.”_

His heart stutters in his chest in recognition, face turning warm with a jumble of mixed emotions. He stares down at the dark sidewalk for too long.

“We shouldn’t waste time.” He mutters.

 _“Come on Five.”_ Ben gently urges. Five can hear the wide smile in his words. _“We can do it quick while Klaus gets out.”_

Five blinks a couple more times then necessary, exhaling deeply before he cranes his neck up to stare at the sky. Even at night, it’s hard to truly see what he’s looking for due to the city lights blanketing it in a hazy fog. Eventually he finds one he’s satisfied with, reaching up and pointing up at a star.

“That one.” He mutters.

Ben is silent for a moment as he searches in the direction of the sky Five is pointing at. _“Okay. Found it.”_

“That’s our star for tonight.”

_“Why that one?_

“You know why.”

 _“C’mon, don’t break script.”_ Ben laughs.

He hesitates. “Because it’s the brightest one.”

_“Okay. So it’s my turn to make the wish, and if you guess it then it’ll come true.”_

He nods, feeling silly. Childish.

Once upon a time they would sit at the windowsill, or the roof if they were feeling rebellious, and try and find the brightest star shining through the fog of the city. Five doesn’t know when it became a routine, probably during a bad night where one of them needed a distraction. But that little moment was just for them, searching for a hidden treasure among a fog. It had all started as a joke. Ben was discussing the trend in fairy tales about characters wishing on a star, and in a cosmic work of magic, it always came true for the protagonist. They had a laugh at that, knowing even at a young age that stars were just spheroids held together by their own gravity. There was nothing magical about that.

Five had sarcastically wished for a new father.

Ben wished for new books to read.

Eventually funny wishes for wanting a better uniform or wishing Klaus hadn’t eaten all of the snacks warped into more serious ones. A hope that Luther would join them more in sneaking out for donuts when they were all together. A want for Diego to find his confidence. An appeal to Allison to be comfortable enough to not turn to her powers as a failsafe. A prayer for Klaus so he wouldn’t have to be afraid ever again. An askance for Vanya to come join them so she wouldn’t be lonely.

A begging hope that Ben could learn how to love himself.

A plea for Five’s silent sadness to be taken away.

A wish to escape.

Then the wishes eventually warped into one wish that stayed the same for years and years up until Five disappeared.

“Did you wish that…” Five starts, trailing off softly.

_“You know what I wished for. C’mon, play along for me.”_

Five swallows. It seemed easier to say this when it was a routine. When they were younger. When he wasn’t so afraid to show his smile to a person he trusted with his life and his heart. He shakes his head, unable to continue along with the routine that is still ingrained into him after all this time.

“I-we’re not kids anymore Ben.” He mumbles, glancing down the street.

_“I don’t need to be a kid to tell you how much I love you though, Five. To wish that you’d always know that.”_

Every time such a declaration is made on his behalf, it seems to steal the very air in his lungs.

He doesn’t know why he can’t say it back. He does love Ben. He loves Ben so much that it makes his heart soar and spirit light.

Klaus gets out of the cab with a mulish expression, likely agitated his funds are now depleted. He shuts the cab door lightly, a dramatic sigh falling out of his lips. Five watches the man turn in confusion, eyes lighting up in recognition when he sees Five and Ben on the secluded sidewalk. Guilt consumes him for feeling relieved to not continue this conversation with Ben.

“Did you two kids have fun while daddy took care of the finances?” the man grins.

Five chews on the inside of his cheek.

 _“Five can really hear me, isn’t that amazing Klaus?”_ Ben says in good spirits, apparently not put out by his lack of response.

“Fan- _tastic_! Maybe now you can bug _him_ with your moral mumbo jumbo instead of me!” Klaus grins, rubbing his hands together. “Okay! So where to, kiddo?”

“It’s just down the street. We’re going to loop around to the back entrance.” Five explains as the trios begins their trek.

_“Why are the documents over here? You mentioned someone actually took them?”_

Klaus groans in relief. “Oh, thank god I don’t have to ask all the questions. This is already amazing.”

“Leonard Peabody, or rather, Harold Jenkins finds dad’s documentations about all of us. He uses this information to get close to Vanya as a revenge tactic on us. It doesn’t just end up hurting her though, it ends up destroying the entire planet.”

 _“Is that what happened to you?”_ Ben demands.

Five hesitates.

“Yes. At one point it did. I tried to warp us all back to the past so we could correct the mistakes as children, but instead I simply woke up on the day of dad’s funeral again. And the second time- “he cuts off.

Klaus turns his head slowly to stare at Five with a light frown. “ _Yeees?_ The second time?” he pushes lightly, wanting elaboration.

Rope. Wounds. Blood. Death.

“I told you. I died.”

_“How?”_

It’s irrelevant. We just need the documentation that Leonard Peabody has and this can all be avoided.” He bites out a bit harsher than needed.

The three cross the street. Five eyes Leonard’s shop down the street. Familiar flashing red and blue lights from cop cars meet his vision surrounding the store.

“Shit.” He hisses.

Eventually they make it around the back of the store, the damp parking lot reflecting the night lights on the ground. There’s yellow tape preventing access to the crime scene, only allowing them to stare from a distance. Five is dismayed to see several police members already investigating inside, the door wide open showing the interior of the shop.

A chill runs down his spine seeing the familiar environment. The last time he was here it had been so different. Leonard’s body had already been removed from the scene, the only thing left a white outline of where the body had fallen. A warm hand settles on his shoulder, making him lightly jump in reaction.

“You good, shorty?” Klaus smiles.

“Don’t ask stupid questions.” He frowns, swatting half-heartedly at the man. “Of course I am.”

 _“There’s a story there for sure.”_ Ben chimes in, calling out the fib.

Five stares at the empty air in sour frustration.

Klaus laughs awkwardly. “Yeah uh, he can hear you now, remember Benny boy?”

 _“I-wow, right.”_ Comes the embarrassed voice of his ghostly brother. _“Sorry. Guess I have to get used to that.”_

“What the hell are you doing here?” a familiar voice calls out to them.

Diego.

The trio turn to stare at their brother who is all decked out in his usual combat gear. The man is crossing his arms, leaning against the wall of the building.

“Thought I caught a glimpse of you guys walking across the street.” Diego frowns, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. “What are you doing?”

“What are _you_ doing?” Klaus retorts with interest.

“I’m _investigating._ ” Diego gestures to the building.

“ _No,_ you’re _not_ Diego.” Barks a female voice.

Well this is just turning into a party now, isn’t it?

Five can see the deer in headlights expression on Diego’s face before the man quickly covers it up with a resigned groan. Eudora Patch walks out of the shop with a sigh, tucking dark strands behind her ear.

“How many times do we need to go through this?” Patch announces as she turns towards Diego, leveling the man with an exasperated glare. “You’re. Not. Welcome. Here. Get out of the crime scene, or I’m _cuffing_ you.”

“I’m doing my job! Come _on_ Eudora- “

“Do not call me that!”

Five, Ben, and Klaus stand around the perimeter idly. Five crosses his arms as he listens to the former lovers fight, Klaus giggling in amusement at the entertainment. He can hear Ben groan in exasperation in his ear. He’s inclined to agree.

“Wish we had some popcorn.” Klaus whispers.

“You know none of this adds up!” Diego protests. “This guy was a nobody. It can’t have been a robbery, what are they gunna steal? A chair? The work is far too clean for that. The bullet went straight through the guy’s head with pristine precision, and the bullet- “

“Diego.” Eudora interrupts, holding up a hand. “How about you let me do my job, you know, the thing I’m hired _legally_ to do, and you leave with your…brothers here.” She says, gesturing to them. “Why did you bring them in the first place?”

Diego pushes off the wall in frustration, throwing out his arms. “I didn’t!”

“Just _leave_.” Patch grounds out, levelling the man with a serious stare before she returns inside the shop.

“Ooooo someone got in trouble~” Klaus singsongs.

Diego turns toward them with a murderous glare, turning his embarrassment into anger. “Why the hell are you guys around here? What sort of fucked up combo is this?” he asks, gesturing to Five and Klaus with agitated caution.

“We’re bonding!” Klaus grins widely, bouncing on the front of his feet.

 _“Sibling bonding, remember?”_ Ben laughs.

What?

“Sibling bonding!” Klaus repeats.

“Sibling bonding...” Five mutters in light bewilderment, the familiar phrasing lightly perplexing him.

Diego levels them with a dull stare in disbelief. “…Sibling bonding.”

“Yep!” Klaus chimes with a hearty pop on the syllable.

Diego looks at them mystified, walking towards his brothers. “Why does it feel like, you two teaming up is one of the most dangerous things to ever walk the earth.”

Five responds with a wide grin full of teeth.

“A red book initialed with golden letters on the front of the cover. Did you happen to see that in the store?” Five asks.

The man raises a suspicious eyebrow at Five. “Any evidence would be going to the police station.”

“But did you _see_ it in there.” He presses in agitation.

If Leonard didn’t take it to the shop in the first place, then there’d be an issue of tracking down the man’s house and breaking in that way.

“I might have seen a book or something.” Diego admits.

 _“Before they kicked him out of the building and let him wander outside aimlessly on the scene.”_ Ben snorts.

Diego frowns, resting his hands on his holster to look intimidating and in charge. "Not that it's any of your business. So why don't you tell me what you're doing here? How did you even know about that?"

Shit. Everything needs to be a hassle doesn’t it? Of course they couldn't just get here before the police and snatch the book before any issues.

Five sighs heavily. “Fine.” He mutters. “ _Fine_. Then there’s nothing else I need here. I’m leaving.” He grits out in frustration, turning and walking away.

_“Are you-are you going to break into the police station?”_

“That’s the plan.”

Diego frowns. “Wait-What’s the plan? What are you two even _doing?_ ”

Klaus turns to his confused brother with a wide grin and a wiggle of his fingers. His palm tattoo reads ‘Good bye’, the message loud and clear. Diego shouts at them in confusion, debating if he wants to follow his siblings or if he wants to try and press his luck at the crime scene.

_“Time for a heist, fellas.”_

“ _Fuck_ yeah! This is way better than drugs!” Klaus whoops, punching a fist into the air. “Ooh- _Oooh!_ Can I be the sexy one who hacks into the cameras with a troubled past? But oh _god_ , my lipstick is so on point and my dialogue so sexily scathing that you wouldn’t even know it?”

“I-What?” Five asks in familiar confusion that can only come with talking to Klaus.

_“We're casting ourselves? Okay I call the person who is morally gray but lives for the adrenaline rush. Easily the best fighter out of the squad.”_

“Five can be the super suave super spy!” Klaus giddily announces. “Like he doesn’t always come around because he’s just _so_ mysterious, but when he does you just _know_ it’s going to be a good episode.”

_“Seconded.”_

“You’re taking the fact that I’m about the break the law, very well.” Five muses as the three walk across the street.

“ _We’re_ breaking the law, darling. We’re the Sexy Spy Squad!”

_“Super Spy Squad sounds better, though it’s unoriginal.”_

“Stupid Spy Squad is more like it.” Five snorts.

“Ouch!” Klaus dramatically presses a hand to his heart. “You’re not stupid Five!”

_“Neither am I but I have definitely lost brain cells hanging around you, so I guess that’s fair.”_

“I feel so singled out right now.” Klaus simpers with a pathetic whine.

He's missed this.

_“Really Five, it’s okay though. Klaus already said it, but we believe you. If we have to get that book for the fate of the world, then that’s what we’ll do. You’re the one with the experience here. Even if you didn't have it, we'd still trust you."_

Five pushes down the warmth growing in his heart. “You don’t need to get involved though. I can do this myself.”

“Too bad~ You’re stuck with us!” Klaus grins.

Five nods idly, not trying to fight terribly hard against them tagging along.

Time for a heist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI! wow, it's been like. 4 or 5 whole days since an update, I know guys! That's a long time in comparison to the usual! Thanks for your patience :') I know this one is pretty dialogue heavy, but I hope you don't mind that after such an action-packed last chapter.
> 
> Also! If you're interested, I made a tumblr. I've been uploading some art TUA there if you guys are interested. https://ladyorigami.tumblr.com Head on over if you'd like! It'll probs be art practice, art from scenes in this fic, incorrect quotes if I'm feeling funny, and of course maybe I'll post updates about chapters or answer any questions about the fic or headcanons if you guys want to ask things! Stop on by if you'd like~
> 
> But also like, are y'all interested in a side fic about Ben and Five actually looking into how that routine started and the times they do it after? Cuz I'd totally do it.
> 
> Can I just say I've really missed all of you btw? Like my financial situation is really bad right now, but I've missed your sweet and kind comments so much! Not uploading for more than two days really had me missing being able to read your comments and react and talk to some of you. <3


	17. II. Sforzando

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Five plays with guns and knives.

Five only made it about two blocks before his vision tipped sideways once more, a familiar vertigo enveloping him. He stumbles over his own feet, throwing an awkward hand out to catch his fall. He can hear Ben shout, the familiar hands of Klaus quickly attempting to steady him.

“I’m fine.” He breathes out faintly, mouth on autopilot.

He’s been going too long without rest. The fight on the roof followed by the race to Leonard Peabody while trying to fight his own siblings off had more than taken its toll. Then the walk back and now this. But there’s still too many things that need to be done. If he could just get the book, he’d at least have peace of mind that this all wouldn’t be linked back to his family.

He slowly straightens up, batting his brother’s hovering hands away with feeble exasperation.

“I’m _fine._ We need to get the journal.” He emphasizes, trying to draw his sibling’s attention back to the matter at hand.

Five wipes some cold sweat beading onto his brow away with the back of his hand, trying to blink away the dark spots dancing in his vision. It’s fine. He’s managed to push through a lot tonight, he can go a bit longer. His knees ache and his body feels sluggish, but it’s a familiar weariness that he’s battled for his entire childhood. This is all easy enough to power through.

 _“It’s your energy, right? You haven’t properly rested and replenished after jumping. You can’t do that Five.”_ Ben chides fretfully. _“It never worked before and it won’t work now.”_

“ _Look_. I just need to get that journal. I’m not going to stop until I get it. I already told you that I can do it myself.” Five bites out stubbornly _._

“Aha yeah okay, but uh, can you _stand_ by yourself?” Klaus chimes in, a cheeky smile tilted on his face.

Five clenches his jaw tightly, pushing Klaus away from his person as he tries to steady himself. Standing shouldn’t be such a hassle, but his limbs are heavy as if they’re being weighed down by chains. He runs an agitated hand through his hair as he straightens up.

_“You’re pushing too hard, Five. Why don’t you rest than we can get the-“_

“No!” Five snaps. “That’s not an option. So, you two can either get out of my way, or stop talking.”

Ben goes silent and Five pushes down the regret pooling in his stomach. He lets himself inhale deeply through his nostrils, grounding himself to the present.

“Okay but like- _why_ is the journal important?” Klaus asks awkwardly.

Five whirls around to face Klaus with disbelief in his angry eyes. “What do you even _mean_? You practically threw away a walking _bomb_ , Klaus!” he hisses. “That journal contains the old man’s thoughts, experiments, and detailed studies of all of us! Our strengths, our weaknesses, our fears, our deepest vulnerabilities!”

Klaus frowns, giving a light sniff. “Look I mean-yeah that shit sounds bad but like. Why does it matter if the police have it?”

Five stares at his brother in mystified agitation.

“I’m just saying!” Klaus holds up his hands defensively. “Like you killed the guy who was going to use it for the end of the world or whatever right? So who cares if the police have it?”

“Because it will link our family to the crime.” Five explains slowly, agitation in his eyes.

“But so what? We didn’t do- “

“I did!” Five yells in agitation. “ _I_ killed him! Was that not clear?” he shouts angrily, throwing his hands out into the air.

_“Five, it’s okay. You look pale. Try and take some deep breaths.”_

“I’m _fine_!” Five seethes. “Even if I didn’t do it, that doesn’t mean we should just let the police have a hold of that journal. It has- “he cuts himself off.

 _“What? What does it have in there?”_ Ben asks softly.

Did Klaus have a point? Was Reginald’s journal really okay in the police department’s hands? If anything, it would just connect Leonard’s obsession further, as they would likely investigate the man’s home as well and find all of the strange eerie Umbrella Academy memorabilia there. But that also leaves the matter of his death. Five made a perfect shot, but anything linking the family to that man unnerves him.

“ _No one_ should have that book!” Is what he ends up adamantly, glaring up at his brother with a stubbornly clenched jaw.

“ _Okay!_ Okay okay, how about we just relax for a second.” Klaus concedes, reaching out a tentative hand towards Five in worry. “You know Benny boy might have a point, though right? Can’t exactly get it like this when you can barely- “

Five immediately backs up out of reach, confused at what direction his thoughts should be in right now. Were his emotions too attached to the situation at hand? Should he really care if the police have the journal? But what if Reginald had made notes about the apocalypse as well? Klaus the first time around had mentioned the dead man apparently had some sort of knowledge about it approaching, and killed himself to bring them back together.

There are so many questions left unanswered.

“No. I need that journal. _Now._ ” He reaffirms with a deep breath and a steady resolve.

_“Five. Don’t try and- “_

 “What the hell are you two doing?” Diego’s voice rings out in the late night harshly, the man stalking towards the three in agitation across the street. “You didn’t honestly think I’d just let you wander off after what you said, right?”

“Oh for-” Five cuts himself off due to frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The last thing he needs is his temperamental crime fighting sibling to add into the pot with the junkie and the mother hen. A cornucopia of disaster laid out right in front of him.

“No. I don’t have time for this.” He announces swiftly, turning.

His body didn’t appreciate the movement. He trips over his own feet, cursing his own ineptitude out as he does. Diego’s hand clamps onto his shoulder steadily, helping him stay upright. Five breathes harshly through his nose as he waits for the world to stop spinning.

“What’s wrong with him?” Diego barks to Klaus, protective hands moving to grab his other arm to help keep him steady.

“Nothing!” Five hisses.

“Oh you know how it is. He’s busy saving the world and then Luther and Allison got in the way a teeny bit and were pushing him along and-well really I’m not entirely sure!” Klaus laughs, scratching lightly at his stubble. “I’m just sort of along for the ride you know? We gotta get that book though.”

 _“Klaus!”_ Ben exclaims with agitation. _“Don’t just mention the book when Diego is already suspicious!”_

“Well jeeze, I don’t know man!”

Diego moves around in front of Five, kneeling down to observe him with hard brown eyes. Five watches in humiliated embarrassment as Diego scans his person for any form of injury. He tries to jerk out of the man’s grip, but Diego isn’t as relenting as Klaus, only tightening his hold on Five’s shoulders to stay attached.

“You hurt?” the man eventually asks with a casual tone, eyes lingering on his bloodied knees.

“ _No_. So if you’ll excuse me- “

“Who roughed you up then?” Diego demands. “You look like shit, Five.”

Five squints at the man in disbelief. “That is entirely irrelevant to the matter at hand. There are things that need to be- “

“Who did it?” Diego presses. “Why’s Klaus talking about Luther and Allison? Did _they_ do this?”

“It’s none of your _business._ ” Five hisses, staring angrily up into his brother’s eyes.

“It _is_ my business if someone hurt you!” Diego shouts right back at him in frustration, giving Five’s shoulders a small shake.

Diego is confusing. Five doesn’t understand how someone so angry and so quick to resort to violence can also be so fiercely protective and loyal. The man can dish out the cruelest of insults to his own family, hitting the spots where he knows it hurts the most, but then won’t hesitate to behave in this way. It’s contradictory and strange.

And he really doesn’t have time for it.

Five warps through the man’s grip, stumbling out the other side with a shaky exhale. The action makes him dizzy with effort, but his feet continue forward in an unsteady pace. He needs to think about a next course of action. Should he go to the police station alone? Should he try and warp into the crime scene and see If the book is still there? The police are still investigating the scene, so clearly the evidence hasn’t been taken back to the police department yet. Maybe he could just push his luck.

“Hey now, don’t leave your poor brothers all alone shortstack!” Klaus whines after him.

_“Five, wait! There’s nothing wrong with telling Diego what’s going on. I bet he might help even if he knows what’s happening!”_

“Five!” Diego calls in frustration.

He can hear Diego’s footsteps rapidly approach him. He’s tired. He’s agitated. He just wants to get this done so he can maybe take a second to have a sandwich and about three margaritas before getting back to the grindstone. Five turns into an alleyway, wanting to cut through the long, secluded area just to get some space. Diego’s gloved hand settles onto his shoulder and he smacks it away harshly. Five whirls around on his sibling with a glare, his jaw clenched in frustration. Every minute he spends trying to explain his endeavors to his siblings is time wasted. Besides, most of them hadn’t even given him the time of day the first or second time. Why would he bother?

Klaus and Ben are enough for him.

Maybe that isn’t fair to say. In the end, Diego had come through for him as well.

But why bother taking the risk?

“In case you haven’t noticed-“ he starts with a hiss. “I don’t need your approval. I don’t need _anyone’s_ approval to do what I’m doing. This is for the good of humanity and the fate of the _world_ so I think I don’t need to explain myself to the likes of you. Luther and Allison already tried to do this ridiculous moral charade but, in the end, I succeeded over them.” He smiles angrily, jaw clenched tight with stress. “I’m always going to be one step ahead, because what I’m doing is _important_ , do you understand?” he asks condescendingly, purposefully trying to rile up his brother’s temper so the man will storm off.

Either that or throw a punch. Wouldn’t be the first sibling that’s tried to lay him out tonight.

“Tell me what the hell is going on with you. Or with this whole crime scene.” Diego demands in a low voice, nostrils flaring in agitation. “How did you specifically know about a piece of evidence and why were you lingering around there at all? I know you Five, you’re not someone to just wander aimlessly around. You always have some sort of motive.”

“Because I’m the one who killed the guy.” Five grins sharply. “And I want that book he has.”

Diego tenses in surprise. “You killed him?”

“I planted a bullet right through his brain is what I did.” He declares, his grin all teeth and no mirth.

Klaus hovers around the corner of the alleyway nervously, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet back up to the tips of them. He can hear the way his brother scratches at his stubble and clears his throat anxiously, hoping the two of them can work out the discussion. Unlikely chance. Diego and holding a decent conversation is like water and oil. It's usually is not something that goes together.

“What’d he do to you?”

Five’s smile dims, eyes furrowing in confusion as he looks up at Diego. “What?”

Diego looks up at the sky for a moment in disbelief, before leveling a pointed gaze at him. “What did he do to you, Five? Did he hurt you?”

Yes.

“Who cares? I did what I had to do for the fate of the world.” Five replies stubbornly, feeling suddenly put on the spot.

“Don’t do that shit man. You think I didn’t see how your posture changed when I asked what happened? You think I didn’t notice your surprise? You hide it well, but I’m the one on the streets every night and I’m the one who deals with this stuff all the time. So, what’d he do?”

“Hate to break up this lovely chat.” Rings a muffled voice from the end of the alley, the loud metallic reload of a gun echoing through the rigid air. "But we have some business to attend to with that kid."

Bright, fun, colored masks stare at him into the darkness, eyes unblinking.

No.

_No._

How?

How did they get here so fast?

Five is shoving Diego down onto the floor with a shout before he can even think straight. Diego curses in alarm, back slamming against the damp concrete harshly as a line of bullets whiz right over their head where they had been standing.

“ _Shit!_ ” he curses, a surge of adrenaline spiking through his body.

“We’d recognize your handiwork anywhere, Number Five.” Cha-Cha announces. “Even as a kid? Tch, still pristine work you do with that sniper rifle.”

“Can’t help but admire it, seriously.” Hazel chimes in, cocking his gun. “I mean the work you do is just, it’s just brilliant, I have to say.”

“Okay, back to business.” Cha-Cha admonishes.

Five grits his teeth as he hugs his sibling tightly, forcing them both through a short warp. It doesn’t get any easier teleporting his siblings along with him even though he knows he has the potential. A shotgun blast rings out as the two tumble out of the warp right beside Klaus, just around the corner of the alley. Nausea rolls harshly through his stomach and Five bends over, shoving a hand against his mouth as he breathes heavily through his nostrils.

Now is just absolutely not the time.

 _“Five!”_ Ben frets in worry. _“Deep breaths, it’s okay. Breathe through it.”_

“What the hell- “What-what’s with the deadly mascots!?” Klaus exclaims fearfully, hovering near Five in worry.

“Who are they!?” Diego shouts as he whirls around in disorientation from the warp, quickly brandishing a blade as he straightens himself out.

“No- _stop_.” Five breathes, forcing himself up. “There’s no time, we can’t fight them. Those two are the best in their field. You need to leave. _Now._ ”

 “I can take them.” Diego declares, twirling his knife at the ready.

Five lunges for his bull-headed sibling in a flare of panic, clutching onto the man’s wrist tightly. “Stop! Diego, you can’t! I’m telling you, you _can’t_..” He tells the man seriously, a small amount of desperation leaking through his tone. “You don’t know Hazel and Cha-Cha like I do.”

There’s no time. He can’t account for two other siblings. Klaus isn’t good in fights, and Diego’s stubborn pride could be his downfall. Hazel and Cha-Cha are no joke, regardless of his brother’s fighting capability. Liabilities only make it more complicated.

“Run!” he shouts to his siblings, giving Klaus a shove to get the man going.

Klaus doesn’t waste any time heeding Five’s words, turning tail and immediately booking it down the sidewalk with Ben shouting at his heels. Five steals Diego’s knife right out of his brother’s hand,shoving Diego towards the nearest car. His brother takes the hint, sliding across the hood and crouching on the other side to hide. Five turns to face the assassins who are rounding the corner, giving a heavy exhale.

Dammit. Why do things never go his way?

“Never thought we’d have to hunt down one of our own.” Cha-Cha mutters as the three stare each other down across the sidewalk.

Five doesn’t waste time. As soon as the two assassins lift their guns he warps right through them. He comes out the other side behind them, slashing aggressively with the blade. The knife sloppily sinks itself into the back of Cha-Cha’s shoulder, a far cry from what he actually had wanted to hit. The woman curses, back peddling as she blindly tries to reach for the blade still embedded into her skin.

It’ll have to do.

He lunges onto Hazel’s back with a growl, trying get the man to drop the shotgun. If he can at least get rid of the weaponry, he might stand a better chance. Five squeezes his arms around the man’s thick neck tightly, hearing the man choke out a curse. Hazel’s gun falls onto the concrete with a satisfying clatter. What Five doesn’t expect is for the man’s hands to grab his arms and heave. His world turns upside down for a terrifying moment as Hazel hauls him over his own head like a doll.

“Oh, what the hell!” Hazel shouts with a ragged breath. “I don’t get paid enough for this shit!”

Five’s back slams against the concrete harshly, his breath being stolen from his body as he smashes onto the pavement. His body rings out in agony, too disoriented to warp away. He blinks away the dots in his vision in time to see Diego’s blurred form slam headfirst into Hazel, the two men going down hard onto the ground.

His hand blindly reaches for the shotgun on the ground, the cold metal chilling his palm as he grabs the barrel of the gun. As soon as he orients his grip, Five rolls onto his stomach and up into a crouching position, immediately meeting the barrel of Cha-Cha’s gun.

Several shots ring out into his ears as he warps only several inches to the side, firing his gun off randomly in her direction with a grit of his teeth. It’s sloppy work, a far cry from his usual quality of combat but he’s been through a hell of a day already. She staggers backwards, a splash of blood dripping from the same shoulder he had initially stabbed. Crimson splashes onto the pavement, glimmering slightly as the city light illuminate it in the dark. He tries to haul up the shotgun again to reload but a flare of agony shoots down his body. His fingers lose their grip on the gun as his hands automatically fly to his lower side. He’s been shot, but at least it isn’t critical. The bullet went clean through too.

Small blessings he supposes.

Could be worse.

“Shit.” He rasps in agitation, swooping the gun up once more as his body screams in pain.

“Screw it.” Cha-Cha mutters in the background.

Diego and Hazel are still tussling on the ground, his brother pinned over Hazel and laying several punches into the man’s face. Five starts to move towards the duo when there’s movement in his peripheral vision. He ducks just in time to avoid a roundhouse kick to the face. Five sweeps his leg with a grunt, hitting Cha-Cha’s ankles to send her off-balance. Unfortunately, the woman orients herself quicker than he can, falling into a backwards somersault and up into a standing position. Her acrobatics have always been an admirable trait. There’s no time to even lift the gun up before she’s on top of him, attempting to pry it out of his grip. Five clings to the gun as well as he can, but he’s aware of the disadvantage being pressed upon him as Cha-Cha pins him down with her weight.

“Let. Go!” Cha-Cha grunts, shoving a harsh heel of her palm to grind against his collarbone.

Five shouts in pain, gritting his teeth as he tries to pull the trigger of the gun in between their struggling tug of war. He allows the resistance he’s been fighting for to suddenly go slack, the momentum of Cha-Cha’s tug now too powerful. The gun goes sailing right out of their hands, clattering onto the pavement at a distance. He throws a fist, punching her straight in the throat. The woman falters, stumbling off of his form as she wrenches off her bubblegum pink mask. She gulps in the cold air with a wheeze before sprinting towards the fallen gun.

Five doesn’t give her the chance, and lunges onto her ankle with a clawed grip, tugging with all of his might to send her falling. She goes down hard, bracing her palms against the pavement harshly as she tries to brace herself.

 _“Get over there and grab it!”_ Ben shouts the loudest he’s ever heard him, sounding frantic. _“DO IT NOW KLAUS!”_

“But seriously-Who the- _shit!_ Who the hell are these guys?” Hazel’s voice rings out into the night air, a pained wheeze from Diego signifying that his brother might be in trouble.

There’s suddenly a wide hand on the back of his collar, flinging him away from Cha-Cha and back onto the pavement with a harsh thud. Hazel stares down at him with agitated grey eyes, crouching down over him with a ruffled navy suit and disheveled hair. He lost his mask during the brawl with Diego at some point, and now all Five can do is stare into the exasperated face of a 9-5 assassin.

He wonders if he looks that apathetic when he kills.

Five throws out a punch that the man easily grabs with his hand. The other goes to Five’s neck.

“Would have preferred to give you a cleaner death than this.” Hazel sympathizes softly. “Feels wrong that a legend should go down being choked to death.”

“Just finish it! This is a disaster. We’re going to get in trouble for such sloppy work, and in the middle of the street too.” Cha-Cha rasps, a shift of fabric scraping across the floor indicating she’s getting to her feet. “Don’t want to know how many eyes there are around here.”

Five claws at Hazel’s hand with a vicious desperation, scratching and tearing the man’s skin up in a desperate attempt to free the large hands from his throat. The hands only squeeze tighter, the air cutting off his attempts to breathe. His vision starts to turn black around the edges, slowly making its way to the center.

Not again. Please not again.

There’s a sound of blade slicing through the air, a familiar metallic tang as it hit its mark. Hazel shouts in alarm as a knife embeds itself into the meat of his upper arm, another slicing right through the center of his hand.

“Get the fuck off of him!” Diego shouts, a black blur as he charges into Hazel’s body like an enraged bull.

“Who the _hell_ are these guys!?” Hazel shouts, flinging his hands up to brace himself against Diego’s charge.

The two grapple viciously with each other. Diego shouts in anger as he throws his entire body against Hazel again, toppling the man down along with himself. Five gasps in an inhale, coughing at the strain of pain it sends to his chest. He weakly turns onto his side, trying to push his palm against the concrete to maneuver himself upward.

“Are you kidding me right now Hazel?” Cha-Cha calls in agitation. “Focus the priority!”

“Little busy!” Hazel grunts, avoiding a blade being swung in his direction.

“Gotta do everything myself.” The woman mutters.

The reload of a shotgun reloading gives them pause. Five looks up weakly only to find that it’s actually Klaus holding up the shotgun with shaking hands, pointing it right at the Cha-Cha’s chest. His eyes are wide with adrenaline, a grin on his face as he levels it at the assassin.

“Okay-so uh-why don’t you all just- “Klaus starts awkwardly, licking his lips in jittery anticipation.

_“Shoot her.”_

Klaus hesitates.

“We just want the boy.” Cha-Cha says calmly, staring down Klaus with a calm gaze. “You have no idea the things he’s done. We’re just here to keep things in balance.”

“Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea!” Klaus laughs, choking down his own fear.

 _“Shoot her. DO IT!”_ Ben shouts in raw anger, the sharpness of his tone sending a shiver down Five’s spine.

Klaus adjusts the gun, finger hovering shakily over the trigger. Klaus who is familiar with speaking to the dead. Klaus who finds entertainment in morbid humor and people fighting. Klaus who is aware of the death surrounding him, but isn’t actually comfortable with it. Klaus who doesn’t want to add another dead ghost into his head.

Of all times for the man to be worthless, this is not one of them.

His vision won’t stop tilting around him, but the fear in his brother’s gaze gives him the adrenaline surge to drag himself up to his knees. The bloody knife that had sunk into Hazel’s hand gleams in his peripheral, catching his eye. The city lights reflect off of the steel as his hand slowly moves over to clutch it.

_“What are you doing!? She’s trying to kill Five! She’s trying to kill us, our family!”_

Hazel has pinned down Diego again with his weight. His brother smashes his forehead against Hazel's with a snarl, curses tumbling out of both of them as they fall back. The distraction draws the attention of Klaus and that’s all it takes for Cha-Cha to strike. The mobile woman lunges, taking advantage of the opportunity and his brother’s uncertainty.

 _“KLAUS!“_ Ben screams.

He doesn’t have time.

The warp tears his body apart in anger as he forces himself through the resistance. Five lands right behind Cha-Cha, viciously plunging the knife forward into her body with an angry shout. His aim for the back of her skull doesn’t quite land, the knife sinking into the back of her neck instead and dragging downward.

It’ll have to do.

He wrenches the knife out, stumbling back as he does. Warm blood hits his face and stains his blazer as his fingers fumble with the blade. It eventually slips out of his bloody hands so he tackles Cha-Cha down with ferocious anger.

No chances.

“Oh _shit._ ” Hazel curses, a sudden stumbling of feet.

Five pays him no mind as he takes hold of Cha-Cha’s head, the familiar muscle memory all coming into play as he prepares to snap her neck.

“Stop.” Hazel orders. “Otherwise you’re going to lose one of your friends here.”

Every limb in his body freezes, fingers twitching in anticipation. His pale eyes slowly turn to look at Hazel. The man has Diego in a tight headlock, staring at Five with grim anticipation.

“Don’t listen to him.” Diego slurs, eyes dazed.

He honest to god wonders if Diego actually gave himself a concussion when he tried that idiotic head butt.

“Let him go.” Five warns.

“Okay. You first. Let her go.” Hazel mutters. “Don’t test me, you know I can snap his neck in a second. We’re both well aware of what we’re capable of.”

“Oddly sentimental, bargaining for your coworker’s life.” He bites out with a rasp. “Don’t think that’s by the book.”

“I don’t think you should talk to me about sentimental.” The man quips out with a simple smile, tightening his grip on Diego. “Besides I’ll get docked pay if I come back alone. You know how it is.”

Five grins tightly. “I hear donut shops are particularly nice around this time of the year.”

“Elaborate.”

“Let’s just say I might know your best interests at heart more than you do. You don’t seem to enjoy your work how you used to, Hazel.”

“They’ve cut so many benefits, I don’t even know what I _do_ have at this point.” Hazel concedes lightly.

It’d be so easy to just snap Cha-Cha’s neck and be done with it. This is why things go smoother alone. There are no liabilities to worry about. There are no distractions. There are no siblings that give him a heart attack at the possibility of them being harmed.

“Look, can we do a tactical truce and call it a night?” Hazel asks wearily. “Equivalent exchange, Number Five. Let’s be civil here. Looks like we are at a…sentimental stalemate let’s say, so why don’t we just admit it for what it is, and walk away. Pick things up another day and all that.”

As infuriating as it is, he actually can’t see another way for this to work to keep Diego alive. Even with Klaus manning the shotgun, there’s no guarantee his brother will even shoot, or not hit one of them in the process with the shotgun spread. His powers are too sluggish to properly warp in on an attack when Hazel knows it’s coming. Diego is clearly unable to break the man’s choke hold when he’s being choked out himself. Five can’t blame him, the guy is a wall.

Eventually, he nods in consent, taking his hands off of Cha-Cha’s face. Reginald was right, his siblings are his greatest chink in the armor. He’d do anything and everything to make sure they get the chance to live in this world he’s so desperately trying to save.

His siblings are all he has, after all.

Hazel nods in acceptance as well, loosening his grip from Diego. His brother stumbles clumsily, disoriented either from a concussion or the lack of air in his lungs. Five climbs slowly to his own feet, stepping away from the injured assassin on the floor. She’s unconscious. Five can’t tell if she’ll die and bleed out, or if she can be saved. He doesn’t particularly care either way.

Klaus runs over to help Diego, clutching the gun to his chest as he goes. Five wants to curse his brother out for his stupidity and carelessness, but there’s no point. Klaus is a liability, so it shouldn’t be expected that he knows how to handle a gun in the first place.

His siblings are all he has, after all. He needs to keep them safe.

Five and Hazel’s eyes meet as they cross by each other, and he’s suddenly stricken with the epiphany that the man had never planned to allow him to live. Good thing then that he had planned the exact same intent. He whirls around as soon as they break eye contact, whipping Diego’s blade out from the inner wrist cuff.

A harsh metallic clang rings out as Hazel meets his blade with his own, having yanked it out of his own shoulder.

“Ah dammit. Of course, you knew better.” Hazel muses.

Of course he does, he’s a killer too.

 _“Five!”_ Ben shouts in alarm.

Five knows immediately that he cannot win this battle with physicality along. Hazel trumps him in everything, even stamina. His small frame makes it easy for the other man to be able to overpower him in sheer strength alone, but he has mobility. More importantly, he possesses a will so strong that it got him through an entire lifetime of hell just on one thought alone. As if he’d go down now. 

His siblings are all he has, after all. He needs to keep them safe. Even if that means doing the hard work for them.

Hazel lunges, immediately trying to crowd into his space in an attempt to overpower him. Five ducks under the slashing blade, stabbing his own into the man’s thigh. The man curses harshly into the air. A harsh hand grips his hair tightly, yanking his head upwards. The shine of a blade dances in his eyes.

In moments it will be embedded in his skull.

_“SHOOT THE GUN!”_

“Lower the fucking gun-you’ll hit Five in the crossfire!” Diego shouts.

Five catches the blade with his bare hand as it plunges towards his face, an agonized shout being wrenched out of his lips as he grips the blade tighter. It cuts into his skin like paper, blood pooling around his hand and falling in thick droplets. Hazel tries to pull the blade back to go for another stab, but Five refuses to give the man any more power. He clutches the piercing metal stubbornly, even as it digs further into his palm, white streaks of agony running up his arm and down his entire body. He wrenches his own blade out of the man’s thigh, leaning backwards as Hazel bears his weight onto him.

A single desperate slash across the man’s neck is all it takes for this whole thing to be over. Five watches in horrified fascination as the red slash across the man’s throat suddenly begins gushing blood like a waterfall. Hazel recoils backward, his hands automatically going to try and stifle the bleeding on his throat.

He could really use five margaritas to make him forget tonight.

His feet automatically stumble backwards as he’s release. Both blades drop with a clatter on the sidewalk, blood staining the dark pavement. Five hunches over himself, shivering as nausea and pain wrack his body. His stomach protests his extra warps, insides cramping and curling in on themselves as if to try and shield themselves from the pain.

_“Five! For god’s sake, do something Klaus!”_

He throws up on the pavement, the familiar miserable feeling sending him back to his childhood. He certainly didn’t miss this. There’s really nothing to throw up, but the dry heaving and the stomach rolling does the job well enough to make him feel like a dead man walking.

“Holy _shit-_ “Klaus breathes, gun clattering to the ground.

Idiot, dropping the gun after not using it. He needs to lecture Klaus about gun safety later, or at least lecture the man about common sense. 

“Hey- _hey-_ “ Diego’s soft but frantic voice rings in his ears, gloved hands pulling him over into the man’s space. “Look at me-Five.” The man urges softly, gripping his jaw to turn his face to the man’s gaze.

Five blinks blearily. “Think the adrenaline finally wore off.” He slurs in disorientation. “You’re all so stupid I think I had five bursts of it in one fight.”

Diego looks worse for wear. There’s a stream of blood running down from his forehead and down to his chin, cheeks bruised and swollen from his brawl. The man has multiple cuts in his shirt and likely his arms and hands.

“Is this your blood?” Diego demands, crouching down. “Christ, your _hand_.”

Five lazily waves his brother’s concern away, an awkward splattering of blood falling to the pavement as he moves his hand about. He tries to shake his head, vision warping in and out of focus.

“The journal, we really need to-”

“What the _hell_ Five!” Klaus shouts, clutching at his hair tightly in anxiety. “I don’t think that’s fucking what we need to focus on right now!”

 _“Like you can talk!”_ Ben snaps at Klaus with a rare anger that Five isn’t quite certain he’s ever heard before. _“You just stood there while they both fought for their lives! And then you had the chance to take the shot and you didn’t while Five- “_

“Well excuse me for being a little stressed out and not knowing what the hell to do in the situation!” Klaus shouts back to the empty air, voice strained with stress.

_“Protect your family is what!!”_

“Hey, eyes on me.” Diego orders, tapping on his cheek lightly and bringing his attention back to his brother’s worried dark eyes. “What else? Your hand, and what else?” the man demands lightly, running a hand over his shoulders lightly to check for injuries.

Oh right.

He had gotten shot too.

“An inconvenience.” He mutters faintly, as peels back his jacket to reveal a bloody stain seeping through his sweater vest.

“Oh sh-shit.” Diego breathes.

He supposes he was so distracted that he forgot. The searing agony in his hand helps to balance it out in some sort of ironic karma. Did Hazel die? Is Cha-Cha dead too? There are things that he really needs to help finish up before he passes out. It’d just be a big hassle to waste time like this.

At least Diego and Klaus are alive.

“It’s irrelevant, we need-” he starts dully, trailing off in exhaustion.

He really had nothing left to give at this point. Why did his siblings always have to complicate things? The journal, he had just wanted the damn journal. He sways on his feet, his sibling’s voices blending into a muffled echo. Five feels Diego grab him before his knees buckle, his vision finally going blissfully dark.

_“...Five?"_

He doesn't know why Ben seems shocked. He's been able to talk to him this whole time.

_"No, no. Stay here Five!"_

_"Please.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoo lawd -fans self- too much HAPPENING IN THIS CHAPTER
> 
> Okay. Super happy to get this chapter and just be done with it. lots of changes for this one so I'm just glad its finally done but I hope it's still an enjoyable read for y'all. I still have lots of doubt about writing action scenes but instead of not doing them I decided to write a 13-14 page chapter instead! MAKES SENSE.
> 
> -finger guns- don't hate me for the end please. Also can I just say I love Hazel and Cha-Cha (especially Hazel though) so this made me lowkey displeased. But that's HOW THE COOKIE CRUMBLES SOMETIMES.


	18. II. Resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Five actually gets the rest he so badly needs

There’s something that flickers in the darkness. He tries to reach out to it, but he’s unable to move. Everything feels heavy. Echoes of voices ring through his ears, muffled in his drifting lost state.

“Get off my fucking back why don’t you!”

_“Don’t act like you’re somehow blameless in this Klaus! You might as well have shot him yourself!”_

“Jesus _Christ_ , what the hell is _wrong_ with you Ben? How could you even say-”

_“How dare you. How DARE you not take the shot when he was just laying there and he needed you- “_

“Because I-I DON’T _KNOW_ WHY! I don’t _know_ okay!? I panicked and _-look_ I-I didn’t sign up for this okay?"

A frantic giggle. It sounds too sharp to be genuine.

"This whole universe mumbo jumbo and assassins and-”

_“You did! You did sign up for it! You signed up for it as soon as you said you believed him and then when he needed you most you weren’t THERE!”_

“I didn’t- _Fuck!_ Why are you acting like this? What the actual _hell_ Ben? God! It’s not like I wanted this to happen!”

_“I’m acting like this because I’m so angry I can barely think straight, that’s why! Five is-he’s-Five is everything Klaus! Five is our family! How could you even hesitate when you saw him like that!?”_

Strained laughter.

“Because I’m the royal fuckup! God isn’t that what they all say? Maybe now you get to understand it too! And-and you know what? I stuck out my neck for him plenty already, so maybe I should just leave and you can just stay with him because _clearly_ you don’t want me anymore!”

_“Don’t you dare. Don’t you even think about leaving you selfish-"_

_" …I won’t follow you this time Klaus. “_

A tense silence.

“You really won’t huh?”

_“I’m staying with him.”_

A slam. Something metal.

“Klaus! What the hell are you shouting at, huh? You’re going to wake him. If you want to stay in the room and watch him then shut the hell up. I leave for two minutes and I can hear you all the way down the hallway, Christ.”

“Sorry brother o mine! I’ll zip the lip.”

Another slam.

_“Five, try and stay with us okay? Diego’s patching you up well. You’re lucky the bullet went clean through and only nicked your side. It should be okay…it should be just fine. So you just rest okay? Rest as long as you need and I’ll be here when you wake up.”_

It’s quiet.

“I didn’t… _look_ -I-I didn’t _mean_ to fuck up so bad Benny. I mean come on, you know that don’t you?”

_“Klaus just-let’s just leave it for now. I can’t think straight.”_

He drifts.

_“I’m still mad at him Five. I can’t help it. I don’t think I’ve ever been this angry in my life, living or dead. I know a lot of it is because of me. Of how I am. I’m not really tangibly here. Hah, I can’t physically touch you, help you, protect you. But I just-I want to be able to make my own decisions again. I would have taken the shot.”_

_“I would have taken the shot.”_

He wants to tell Ben it’s okay. But his world is dark and he can’t manage to figure out where he is.

He drifts.

“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry, you know that kiddo, yeah? You know your big bro Klaus would-would help right? You still believe in me, don’t you?”

“You do…right?”

He does. Of course he does.

He drifts.

“Hey look man, when you wake up you have a lot of explaining to do.”

There’s the softest pressure on his hand.

“You really just grabbed that blade with your bare hand. Talk about balls.” A small huff. “Hey by the way I uh-I got the journal, okay? So just relax, it’s like I can hear the gears turning in your head even when you’re unconscious.”

Somehow, a weight seems to be lifted from him knowing his brother has the book.

He drifts.

“You know, mom isn’t feeling very well. I just uh, I’m wondering if maybe you could take a look at her later when you’re awake or something. You’re smart, so, maybe you could do that. She’s just-she’s not d-doing great is all.”

An angry sniff.

"You can maybe do that for her, right?"

He’s not exactly an engineer, but he’d still take a look at Grace for Diego’s sake. He’d say he's more than a quick learner.

He drifts.

_“I miss you so much Five. Sometimes it feels like the breath is being stolen from my body because I miss you so much and you’re so close, but so far away from me. But then I remember I can’t breathe in the first place because I’m…I’m just- “_

_“I’m dead.”_

_“Please don’t follow me here though. I need to see you okay and alive, so you better open your eyes soon. We can finally talk so you can’t leave now. You can’t, alright?”_

_“Maybe my wish will change tonight.”_

Five doesn’t want Ben to wish something different. He’ll return to him soon. He hopes.

He drifts.

“Okaaay so you like sweet pea better than kiddo? Or should I continue with short stack and kiddo? How do you feel about pumpkin? Too pet namey?”

“ _Oh!_ Oh! Okay I got it. _Sunshine!_ ”

A light-hearted laugh.

“ _Bingo_. That one’s the winner. It captures your essence perfectly!”

Idiot. His idiot though.

He drifts.

“I heard Klaus trying to list off nicknames. I hope you sock him in the face as soon as you hear ‘em because if I have to deal with this shit, you do too. Ain’t that right, _sweet pea?_ ” Diego jeers teasingly.

There’s a metallic dragging sound. Diego might be sharpening his knife.

_“I think sweet pea is nice but maybe not smart. Klaus doesn’t need to know it stands for appreciation and departure though. Not that you’d allow it anyways. Hey, you can think of a name for me though if you want.  Nothing nautical themed though please.”_

_“Yeah…You’re going to kill all of us when you wake up but it’s a price I’m willing to make. Mainly because I’m already dead so I just get to watch.”_

He drifts.

_“You woke up a bit today. Do you remember? You were really out of it, and you basically went right back to sleep but, it was nice seeing your eyes. Looks like your injuries are healing okay, no sign of infection. Diego thinks you’re sleeping so long because of shock but I think we both know better. It’s because you haven’t properly rested in how long? I can’t even guess, you never were good at allowing yourself to relax.”_

“Je- _esus_ you could write a novel with the amount of cheese you say to him on a daily basis Benny boy.”

_“Shut up. Nothing wrong with keeping him company. I promised I’d be here when he wakes up so I’m going to be.”_

A sigh.

“Yeeeah I know. I know.” Klaus relents. “Hey on the upside, I haven’t had any drugs in who knows how long!”

_“Klaus it’s been two days.”_

“Well hey! That’s two more days that I wouldn’t have passed before!”

_“Do you see why I had to forgive him? Clearly he can’t function without a literal voice in his head holding his hand.”_

“Hey!”

Idiots. He loves them.

He drifts.

“You’re running a bit of a fever kid. It’s fine, but we have to watch it. I don’t know if you can hear me but…but just in case that’s why I’m talking to you. Mom used to do that for me when I was sick so.”

“Look, I told Vanya what happened. She was worried sick about you and I guess she had been coming to the mansion a lot in the hopes to find you. I’m not saying she’s invited here, but I’m just saying, she clearly…cares.”

Vanya. He misses Vanya.

"Damn you really do look kinda cute when you're sleeping, Klaus got me on that nickname bullshit already I can't believe this."

He drifts.

There’s a sound of snoring.

_“We’re on our third day now. You still have a fever. I wish you’d wake up so you can boss us around. You know I’m not going to let you have coffee, right? Not right away.”_

_“I think I just saw you furrow your brow at me. Tough luck.”_

He drifts.

It’s hot.

He hates the heat.

There’s a low rumbling in his ears, it’s new. He’s been drifting in a state of darkness for a while, he doesn’t know how long. The heat seems to be getting worse and the rumbling increases in volume inside of his ears. His breathing feels strained. There’s smoke in his lungs.

Five opens his eyes to find the apocalypse has come to greet him like an old friend.

No.

He stands there in blank shock as the smoke enters his lungs, ash and cinder falling from the sky. Five stares up in front of him, the sky clouded with smog and dust. How? How can this be? Hadn’t he been doing alright? He had killed Leonard. He had protected his siblings. He tried.

He had tried!

“No…no no no.” he mumbles to himself, a growing panic welling up inside of his chest.

There’s nothing. There’s nothing here. It’s all just rubble, concrete, and broken parts of things he will never be able to put back together again. He stumbles over his own feet, tripping and landing onto his knees. His chest heaves, breathes coming out labored in a genuine fear he can’t push down anymore. Wide eyes stare down at the ground unseeing, rubble and rocks scanning for miles with nothing in between besides dead bodies and bones.

He can’t be back here.

Please.

He can’t be alone again in the nothingness of the world.

Five screams.

“Woah woah _woah_ -why’s-what’s happening! What’s wrong with him?”

_“I don’t know-I think it’s the fever. Five? Five!”_

Claws. They burn at his skin where they touch. He fights them off, refusing to be taken back to the darkness. He doesn’t want to burn here. He doesn’t want to die here. Nothingness it’s all just nothingness and he’s going to be swallowed whole if he doesn’t fight. He always fights. He has to. He’s been fighting for years and years. His entire life has just been one big fight and he doesn’t know how to stop even if he wanted to.

He’s so tired of fighting.

 _“Five? Five! Open your eyes! It’s okay Five!”_ Ben cries to him, desperation lining his tone.

A loud slam echoes in his ears.

“What’s happening! Is that _him_ screaming!?”

“I-he just started-I don’t know! Uh-uhhh help please! I tried to keep him from freaking out and ripping his stitches but he’s-he’s-just shit, help me Diego!”

_“Five open your eyes.”_

Open his eyes? He’s already awake. The smoke is suffocating him, the claws are trying to drag him down, and the ash falls from the sky like rain. This familiar void has been his home for most of his life. There’s nothing to see. But he tries to fight anyways. Five doesn’t even know what he’s struggling against, but he still fights. His side is burning hot pain throughout his body throbbing along with his hand, but he flails against the darkness that’s trying to grip him in an iron hold. The grey sky is turning red above him as he struggles.

“He’s burning up! Klaus get ice buc- _shit!_ ” Diego curses as he gives a harsh jerk to escape, the man’s voice ringing in his head faintly.

“Get _off of me_!” he screams breathlessly.

Suddenly the dark limbs entrapping him take form. The bloodied ash-dusted corpse of his brother stares him down while he tries to pin Five against the destroyed earth. Diego stares with glassy dead eyes as the man pushes on his shoulders to grind him into the ground. There’s blood rolling down Diego's forehead and it drips off of his face sluggishly. One of the crimson drops of blood splashes onto his cheek as he stares up at his brother’s corpse in shock.

The ash falls harder.

He’s going to die here.

“No no _no NO!”_ he screams in raw horror, kicking his legs as much as he can to escape the grip of the dead.

“Stop! Stop Five-fuck!” Diego shouts at him, but the corpse pinning him down hasn’t moved his mouth. “Sh-Sh-Shit wake up Five it’s okay!”

“Holy _shit_ -I’ve never heard him scream-“Klaus says breathlessly in horrified worry, voice rapidly growing closer.

“J-Just giv-give me the-the-FUCK!” Diego swears in frustration, emotions bubbling over.

There’s a rustling. An unbidden whimper tumbles out of his lips in confused alarm when something cold touches the back of his neck, tensing up.

“Shh, it’s just a cold washcloth.” Diego soothes.

Five stares up at the corpse pinning him down. The corpse of his brother loosens his grip before leaning back. He watches in stunned silence as the dead body begins to disintegrate into ash, intermingling with the ash already falling from the sky. Then the monster, the corpse, his brother is gone.

He’s all alone again.

Alone alone alone.

Is this any better?

The cold transfers up to his forehead, making him shiver. Five sits up, pulling his knees to his chest, another shiver wracking his body. A drop of something cold hits the top of his head. Then another. And then the ash isn’t ash at all, but rain. Five looks up in surprise, legs going flat as he looks up at the rain that slowly pelts his face. The smoke slowly disappears and his lungs take in a breath of air that's clean. Fires slowly die, the ground below him turns damp from the rain and soil appears between his fingers where before it was simply rubble and concrete. Five blinks away the rainwater from his eyes as a breeze slowly caresses his cheeks as it gently blows by. His eyes fall shut softly and he can smell petrichor and damp earth replacing the smell of smoke and decay.

It’s cold.

But it’s never cold in the apocalypse.

But it is. It's cold, and he can breathe.

“C’mon sweetheart, open your eyes. _Please._ ”

Five opens his eyes.

The room is dimly lit, no natural light coming through the windows. It’s night then. As he manages to open his eyes further, he’s met with the dark eyes of Diego hovering over him. His brother’s eyes are glimmering with emotion, the beginning of unshed tears refusing to spill. Nothing like the dead milky eyes from before. Five blinks sluggishly, turning his head slightly to find Klaus also staring at him. The man in question has clearly already been crying, makeup more smudged than usual as Klaus holds a painted nail in his mouth, nibbling on it in stress. Diego is sitting on the bed and Klaus is pulled up right beside him in a chair.

They’re hovering extremely close.

He should hate that, but for some reason the only thing he can feel is an overwhelming relief.

 _“Hi Five…there you are.”_ Ben breathes softly in greeting near his head. _“God, there you are.”_

There’s the faintest sensation of something cold on his head, touching strands of his sweat-soaked hair.

“Hey.” Diego croaks to him softly, his eyes lighting up in broken relief as Five turns his gaze on him. “H-Hey. You’re awake.” He repeats, leaning back a bit from Five’s space and withdrawing a washcloth he had been wiping Five’s forehead with.

He sluggishly takes in that he’s on a bed. The covers are scattered every which way, a result of his thrashing. His side and hand ache terribly from his sudden harsh movements, but Five can feel the familiar tightness of stitches on his palm so at the very least he hadn’t reopened them. His skin feels hot and clammy at the same time and it causes him to shiver. But he's alive. He's alive and he's not there.

He's not there.

“God. Holy _shit_. Well this was great, but also let’s never do this again.” Klaus whispers with a laugh, running a shaky hand down his face.

Five can feel tear tracks drying on his own face and wonders how badly he must have reacted in his fevered dream for his brothers to be acting so shaken. It puts him in a bad position, being vulnerable like this and unable to hide it away. While it should be frightening, Five can only feel relief that the worst thing he's done is had a nightmare in comparison to what his fevered mind conjured up. Diego puts a bare hand to his forehead and it feels blessedly cooler than his skin so much that he unconsciously tilts up into it.

“It’s alright. We're getting your fever under control. It's going to be alright.” Diego mutters gently, giving a thick swallow.

Five blinks and feels the warmth of several tears roll down his cheeks. Klaus coos sadly, leaning forward as Diego slips off the bed to fiddle around with what sounds like an ice bucket. Five stares at Klaus tiredly as the man wipes the tears away from his cheeks with soft jittery fingers.

“God don’t you ever scare me like that again, okay?” his brother whispers with a broken smile.

 “Which-" he starts, his voice aching in pain from his screaming. "Which one of you idiots called me sweetheart.” He rasps weakly.

Klaus freezes for a solid second, his face going slack before he suddenly bursts into such a violent relieved laughter that he almost falls off his chair. Diego hides a wide smile by looking down at the floor but his shaking shoulders give him away. Ben’s laughter echoes in his ears soothingly like a cold touch of water.

_“There’s our boy.”_

He’s not alone.

He eventually drifts back into sleep with Klaus stroking his wrist, Diego’s light snoring echoing throughout the room, and Ben quietly wishing on a star.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHAT, HE'S NOT DEAD!!! 
> 
> This chapter is a pretty different read I know. Lots of dialogue and drifting in and out of conversations because Five himself is drifting in and out of consciousness. bUT HOW ABOUT THAT PTSD HUH? DIDN'T THINK I'D JUST IGNORE THAT RIGHT? :)


	19. II. Pianissimo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Five is bad at relaxing

He’s almost there.

Just a couple more steps. Five sucks in a deep breath, ignoring the hot flare of pain it sends down his side. He grips the rail delicately, hissing through his teeth lightly as he remembers that his hand is injured. Forgetting the railing, he uses his other hand to help his balance and brace against the wall. Five drags his feet up one step at a time, the ground slightly cool under his socked feet. The door is right in front of him.

So close.

_“Five I’m telling you it’s not going to work.”_

“Be quiet.” Five mutters in agitation.

_“Just come back and rest.”_

His fingers push against the door firmly, moving it open as he reaches the top.

Finally.

Freedom.

As soon as the door opens, it reveals Diego sitting in a metal foldable chair right across from him. Reginald’s journal is on his lap but Diego is staring straight at him with amused exasperation, a cocky smile drawing up to one side of his face.

“Good morning sunshine.” The man drawls in amusement.

Five gapes in disbelief, watching Diego get up from the chair and move towards him.

“No!” He hisses in warning.

Diego isn’t cowed. Five kicks childishly as the man picks him up by the armpits, easily carrying him back into the room and down the steps. He knows the man won’t pick him up any other way at the risk hurting his side, but that doesn’t make it any more humiliating to be picked up like a child and easily hauled around. Klaus is sprawled half on and half off of the bed, sleeping the early morning away.

 _“What did I tell you?”_ Ben sighs as Diego sets him gingerly down at the edge of the bed.

“Stop trying to break out of here Five. You’re not a prisoner, but you’re stupid if you think I’m just going to let you free roam and try to leave by yourself with your injuries.” Diego orders sternly.

“I have too many things to do and you won’t keep me locked up Diego.” Five grits back, his voice low in consideration of his other sleeping brother.

Diego merely raises an eyebrow at him, unimpressed and undeterred. “Didn’t think I would need to since you have common sense but maybe I will, because this is the third time you’ve tried to leave when we weren’t paying attention.”

Five glares heavily at the man before looking down in frustration. He picks at the cuffs of the over sized black hoodie his brother had given him, the garment so big on his younger frame that it could swallow him whole. It’s comfortable and well worn, but it makes him feel small.

“I can function just fine, so _why_ are you insistent on- “

A hand touches one of his own. Five looks up to see Diego watching him with a frustrated expression, a frown tugging at his lips.

“We just want to protect you, Five.” He murmurs gently, making Five’s ears burn at the genuine care in his brother’s tone.

“I don’t _need_ \- “

“ _Even-_ “Diego interrupts calmly. “If that’s from yourself, apparently. Why don’t you just slow down. Rest. You really need to take it easy for a bit, alright?”

He doesn’t want to relax. He’s lost a lot of time and he needs to check up on everything while he’s been gone. He hasn’t even had a chance to speak to Vanya in his haste to get the job done, and Five can’t help but wonder if this mistake will cost him. The major goals have been accomplished from what he can figure, but who knows what else he might need to do? He really needs to see Vanya. What if something went wrong? What if somehow-

“Five.” Diego calls to him quietly, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Five looks up with an obstinate frown, not knowing what to say. Diego has wandered over to the bedside counter, leveling him with an unimpressed gaze as he picks up a plate full of uneaten eggs.

“You need to eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“I don’t _care_. Look, now they’re cold.” Diego scolds like a disappointed parent, turning away to go to the counter and reheat them in the microwave.

Five rolls his eyes. “Big deal.”

“Look, if you really wanna leave then let me drive you. You wanna go to the house?” the man asks knowingly. “Talk to Vanya if she’s there?”

“Yes…and change into a proper uniform.” He mutters.

His brother snorts in amusement, shaking his head. “Of course you’d rather be that stiff ass uniform than something casual. Of _course_ you would.”

“How much of that journal did you read?” Five asks, eying the vivid red book stuffed casually in between Diego’s holster.

The man turns, plucking it out and tossing it onto the nearest counter. Five figures Diego might not have read anything at all from the way the man’s acting. He would have expected a far more temperamental sibling had his brother read Reginald’s personal thoughts and notes about the "unconfident" and "easily subdued" Number Two.

“Not much. Been a bit occupied trying to keep a stupid sibling from getting himself killed.”

“I’ll be taking that back. Don’t bother reading more.” Five commands.

“And why shouldn’t I read it?” his brother asks casually, the sound of chopping filling the room. “You made it pretty clear how important it was. I had to do some things I’m not proud of to get that back for you.”

He hesitates.

Anything he could say might only spark Diego to want to read it more, especially if he mentions there’s sections specifically on Diego himself. In a way, Five thinks all the siblings would read that damn journal if they had a chance. Whether if it’s for a curiosity to see their father’s most inner thoughts about all of them, or a strange hidden desire to want to be accepted. Even now, he can't help but want to read it himself for more than justifiable reasons. Nothing good comes out of reading that book though. Not for them. He doesn’t want any of them to be taken back to that time.

They are more than just numbers in a ledger, and Five will be damned if he lets that book out of his sight again.

That comes from an emotional place though, which confuses him as much as it frustrates him. His protective instincts don't make for a very good reason as to why Diego shouldn't read the book.

“I…” he trails off awkwardly, earning a bewildered stare from Diego at his lapse into uncharacteristic silence. “Because, you’re not smart enough to understand it.” He tries an insult, but it comes out half-hearted and unconvincing.

 _“Why don’t you really want him to read it though? Will you tell me later?”_ Ben asks.

Diego turns fully away from the counter now, leveling him with a conflicted stare. He watches with wary eyes as the man moves over to him, crouching down to get onto his level. Diego’s stare feels too knowing and it makes him feel foolish. Five bats away the hand that moves towards his forehead, earning a roll of the eyes from his sibling.

“Just wanted to check your fever again because that was some grade A bullshitting if I ever heard it. It’s like you didn’t even try.”

He clenches his jaw, looking down at his bandaged hand and the giant sweater cuffs that go to the tips of his fingers. He fidgets with the cuffs again, feeling entirely too out of his element. Diego taps on the side of his cheek, dark eyes looking at him with expectant patience.

“Five. You’re gunna relax right now, okay?  Then you’re going to eat your breakfast, and _then_ if you don’t try any funny business we can go to the mansion. That all sounds pretty damn reasonable doesn’t it?”

_“Very very reasonable.”_

“Yeaaaah super reasonable.” Comes the muffled voice of Klaus, face still mushed into the floor from where the man is half sprawled on the bed and half on the ground.

“Wow, good morning Klaus, thanks so much for watching after our injured brother this morning.” Diego greets the other brother sarcastically. “Remember when I asked you to do that while I went to grab groceries?”

Klaus lifts his head from the floor with a groan. The man sleepily glances at Diego, his face full of smudged makeup before he lays it back down carelessly.

“Cut me a break huh? I’m going through withdrawal.” The man whines, allowing the rest of his body to slide off the bed and onto the floor into a floppy pile of limbs.

 _“That’s our brother. Do you ever have to remind yourself? Because I do. Like, right there, that’s our brother. That’s who we have to claim as our family.”_ Ben deadpans as Five watches Klaus lay in a boneless heap.

“Pick yourself up Klaus.” Five scoffs. “If you want the bed, you might as well use it.”

“Sure, why not, clearly Five wasn’t using it!” Diego calls in annoyance, popping open the microwave door.

Upon hearing his voice Klaus shoots from his flop, whirling around to face him with an excited grin. Five watches as the man’s expression softens after taking in his state, Klaus giving an eager coo of endearment. Five blandly scowls as the man approaches, sighing in resignation as arms are wrapped around him gently.

“ _Oh_ …look at _you_.” the man breathes.  “What a soft boy wearing his big bro’s clothes. You are so cute~!” Klaus titters happily.

“Shut up.” Five mutters, but makes no move to untangle himself from the hug.

“My little boy!” Klaus coos.

Nevermind, he should know better than to even humor him. Five puts his hand on the man’s face and pushes him away with a roll of his eyes. Klaus goes along with the rejection in happy acceptance, getting up from the floor and dusting off his skinny jeans.

“Can we get waffles?” Klaus asks Diego, earning a laugh from Ben.

“No.”

“Oh, come _on_! You didn’t even think about it.” Klaus whines, stretching his arms up with a yawn. “Tummy’s getting a little rumbly. Family breakfast outing!”

“No.” Diego repeats with a stern glare. “I already made eggs for Five and he’s going to damn well eat them.” He says adamantly, pulling out the plate of eggs from the microwave.

Klaus squints down at the plate of scrambled eggs with disdain, turning to give Five big-eyed pleading look. Five squints at Klaus, then back to Diego who is finishing chopping up an apple for him. So, his options are either stay holed up here and go stir crazy, or at least get a bit of fresh air and some proper sugar at the breakfast diner. He gives Klaus a determined stare, nodding in agreement. The mans' hazel eyes gleam with unholy excitement knowing that Five is on his side to go out for breakfast.

 “I’m not eating that.” Five declares stubbornly.

Diego whirls around, nostrils flaring in a telltale sign of frustration. “You are eating your breakfast otherwise you’re going to pass out and then you’ll be here even longer. Clearly you don’t want that, and I don’t either, so why don’t you just for once in your life do as you’re told?”

Klaus giggles breezily in the background, chewing on a nail in anticipation.

“I want to go out. I’ll eat if we do.” He demands with a cross of his arms. "A compromise."

“I’m not going to allow you to eat donuts and not have any real substance. Your body needs to heal, and part of that is to fuel it right!” Diego exclaims adamantly, shoving the plates of eggs out in presentation to him.

 _“Oh guys, don’t do it.”_ Ben sighs. “ _Maybe he was right, you two together is too dangerous.”_

Five gives Klaus the side eye and that’s all it takes send the signal.

“ _Oooo_  those don’t look half bad! Mind if I uh- “Klaus starts, immediately plunging both of his bare hands into the plate of eggs.

Diego shouts in anger, wrenching back the plate as Klaus grabs a fistful of scrambled eggs in each hand and smashes them into his mouth. Diego watches in disbelief at the audacity of their junkie brother, the sloppy man chewing loudly on the reheated food. Eventually Diego’s had enough and the man whirls around, throwing the plate into the sink harshly.

“Okay you know what? You want to go so badly? Then go!” he shouts angrily. “I have spent too much time here trying to keep you in one piece!” the man rants, turning around and glaring at the other two brothers.

_“Oh now you’ve done it.”_

Five watches with apathetic eyes as Diego stalks around the kitchen area, throwing Klaus a glare who is still idly munching on a fistful of eggs.

“Oh come _onnn_ Diego!” Klaus complains with his mouth full. “Five and I just want to go out to eat together with you! We wanna do a family outing!”

“Well you can get the hell out of my room is what you can do!” Diego snaps, swiping at an apple piece he had cut up and angrily munching on it so his efforts aren’t in vain.

Five simply gets off of the bed slowly, slipping onto his feet. He idly brushes off the old hoodie, plucking at a loose strand before he starts making his way to the exit. He stops to slip his feet sloppily into his shoes, not bother to bend down and put them on properly for now. The graze on his side makes bending more difficult than he wants to admit.

“What are you doing?” Klaus calls to him with a frown.

He doesn’t say anything, nudging his remaining foot stubbornly in the black dress shoe with force. Five starts to the head up the stairs, using his good hand to brace against the wall as he does so.

“Hey! Don’t even think about it.” Diego calls in a warning.

Obviously, he doesn’t listen.

His fingers touch the door before he hears a scramble of footsteps. He’s hauled up by the armpits again and promptly turned around. Diego carries him back down the stairs and right back over to be placed back onto the edge of the bed.

“What the hell Five?” Diego asks in frustration.

“Whatever do you mean? You just said I was more than welcome to leave.” Five snarks at the man apathetically.

“Wh-I _know_ what I said!” the man exclaims angrily back, face turning lightly red in angry embarrassment at immediately contradicting his words with his actions.

Five merely raises an eyebrow.

Diego runs a hand down his face in frustration.

“Okay you know what? Fine. Deal. We go out for breakfast and then after that, you shut your mouth and you do as I say, got it? Can we do that?”

Five nods. “We can do that.”

Klaus cheers, throwing his hands up and showering the floor with leftover egg bits. “Family breakfast outing! I call back seat!” he proclaims loudly, rushing up the stairs and out of the room in an eager beeline for Diego’s car.

Ben grumbles are heard rapidly fading as his brother follows Klaus out. Ever responsible Ben. Five takes the time to properly put on his shoes, wincing lightly as he bends forward to tie up the laces. It could be much worse, he certainly can't complain.

“Diego.” Five mutters, swiveling his eyes up.

“What, you little prick?” Diego grouses, biting the inside of his cheek as he grabs his car keys.

“I’d like Vanya to join us.” He says honestly as he straightens up.

Diego throws his hands up in the air, one of them going to rub angrily at his forehead before he drags it down his face again.

“Sure. Fine. Whatever.” He mutters in frustrated resignation. “We’ll stop by and see if she’s at the house. She said she’ll usually be around early mornings before her lessons or something start in the afternoon, alright?”

Five tilts his head, watching his brother carefully as the man tidies up the kitchen. Diego seems tired, and more than a bit downtrodden. He’s well aware most of that is because of him. It isn’t as if Klaus had the experience to stitch him up or do anything more than watch over him when he was out. Diego had been the one doing all the heavy lifting and bedside work. Patching him up, helping bring down his fever, making sure there isn’t any infection. The man opened up his home and gave up his bed for him for several days without complaint or a thanks given.

Five gets up from the bed, moving over to his exasperated sibling without a sound. Diego’s turning off the light under the sink as he approaches, and the man turns to look at him with an expectant raise of a dark eyebrow.

“What, Five?”

Five reaches his arms out, awkwardly hesitating before he follows through and wraps them around Diego in a cautious and tentative hug. He allows his head to turn, resting his cheek against his brother’s chest to hear the living heartbeat pulse lightly in his ears. Diego freezes in his embrace, clearly not expecting such an out of character gesture from him. Five hugs a bit tighter, trying to convey his gratitude and apology in the action.

“Thank you.” He mutters softly.

His brother is silent, but there’s a small rustle before Five can feel Diego crouch down and reciprocate the hug more fully. A hand comes up to rest at the back of his head, pressing him closer to the crook of the man’s neck. It's warm, but not stifling. It feels comforting. He feels strangely safe in his brother's embrace.

“You make it really hard to stay pissed at you.” Diego muses.

“I’m...serious.” Five mutters awkwardly. “Thank you, for everything.” He repeats, the words feeling strange on his tongue.

He’s not used to being heartfelt in such a way. It’s not bad, it’s just different he supposes. This sort of opening up he's been doing every so often is strange, and he knows he struggles with it. Being vulnerable in this way is something he doesn't really remember, even from his childhood and it's a learning experience that's been largely hit or miss so far. If anyone deserves his gratitude right now though, it’s Diego. Five feels his brother shake his head lightly, rustling some of his own hair in the process.

“Just what family does.” Diego mutters nonchalantly, as if it's an obvious answer.

Five contemplates that statement for moment, feeling a strange pang of melancholy flood his heart.

“…Not all family.” Five murmurs quietly.

Diego hugs him a little tighter.

Five doesn’t mind too terribly much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Diego is MVP the last chapter and this chapter and I'm glad to show him a bit more because he's a fantastic character. We stan. I am soft for these boys.
> 
> Also YES I DID do a sort of "I want to see my little boyyy" vine reference because that and the braincell meme are perfection.


	20. II. Andante

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Vanya enters stage left.

The sky is grey when the three finally manage to pack into Diego’s car. Raindrops pelt the windshield harshly as Five stares out the window in the passenger seat, watching the buildings go by. Diego is driving with a sour face as he activates the windshield wipers and Klaus is laying in the back seat humming a tuneless melody to himself.

Five runs his finger long the spine of Reginald’s journal he had shoved into the oversized hoodie pocket. It’s difficult to fight the urge to just open it now and read it in the car, but the last thing he needs is prying eyes from any of his siblings. He’d be patient, then read it by himself.

“Been raining for a couple days. Fuckin’ miserable.” Diego mutters in dull exasperation

Five doesn’t mind the rain, not in the slightest.

Vanya is already waiting outside when the car pulls up onto her apartment street. Five doesn’t waste time and pushes open the car door to get out and greet her. He’s well aware it’s rude to make Diego and Klaus wait, but he wants to personally say hello to his sister before they all cram into the car. It’s been too long and he had been too much of a coward to look her in the eye the first day due to his emotional spiral.

He spies Vanya stiffen as he fully steps out of the car. She’s in a plain black jacket with a white and black striped scarf, simple jeans. Even now, she dresses as if she’s trying to be invisible, likely so used to being that way that she doesn’t know how to do anything else. Her mousey brown hair is pulled into a loose bun with messy strands framing her face. Five finally meets her tired brown eyes that immediately spark with warmth upon meeting his. Vanya’s walk towards him slowly grows in urgency until she’s jogging over. He can’t help but feel the same sense of urgency as he takes a couple steps in her direction.

“Oh _Five!_ ” Vanya breathes out his name in airy relief, dropping to her knees in front of him. “I was so worried. I thought-I’m-I’m just so glad you’re okay. “she stumbles over her words, reaching out to him.

Her hands hesitate, even in her desperation not wanting to encroach in his space. She’s always been considerate like that. His lips tilt up in a lopsided ghost of a smile of acceptance, pale eyes softening as he looks at his sister’s concerned face. He doesn’t have any trouble shuffling closer into her arms, allowing her to wrap him in a relieved embrace. The hug is gentle and very aware of his injuries, the woman not wanting to cause him the slightest bit of harm.

“Hello Vanya.” He mumbles softly, returning the hug tentatively.

The raindrops slowly fade, leaving just a gloomy overcast sky in its place.

“Hi.” Vanya laughs softly, pulling away to look at him with a hesitant smile and tired eyes. “Gosh I-ever since Diego told me what happened, I’ve just been worried sick. Are you okay? Are you…in pain?” she asks him, running her hands down his shoulders with a barely-there touch.

“I’m alright.” He tells her gently, unable to keep the warmth from slipping into his tone.

She seems to accept his unwillingness to further discuss his injuries, giving him an understanding smile before moving up to her feet. Her jeans are now damp from the wet ground, but Vanya pays it no attention.

“Five I…I was so _worried_. I thought if the last time I got to see you was that brief moment at the funeral that, I’d never forgive myself.” She murmurs sadly. “You just came back and I haven’t gotten to see you. I should have tried harder to try and talk to you. To connect.” She admits, clearly having had these thoughts multiple times over the course of the days.

“I just-I don’t want to lose you. Not again. _Never_ again.” She confesses thickly.

Five breathes deeply, giving her a silent nod in agreement.

“I’m sorry for leaving without saying anything.” He apologizes to her softly.

Apologies always seemed easier when it’s to her.

“I had planned on visiting you earlier. Thing just, took a bit of an unexpected turn.” He mutters with a dry afterthought. “But I’m here, and you’re here as well. I’d certainly prefer it to stay that way.”

Vanya seems content with that answer. A loud honk from the car startles them out of their conversation. Diego throws up a hand in impatience through the windshield, waving them in with an exasperated motion of his arm.

“We can talk more at breakfast.” She says with those warm brown eyes. “Well that’s if-I mean are you sure you want me to come along to, this? It’s alright if you don’t, I really just, wanted to see that you were okay.” Vanya says to him awkwardly, eying the car with trepidation.

Five looks up to her. She seems nervous. Vanya glances distractedly back down at him, giving a hint of a smile before awkwardly licking her lips and looking to the side. He supposes this is rather out of the ordinary. A family outing with siblings that haven’t even been in contact with each other for years.

There’s a lot of things that have gone unsaid.

“I just don’t think-that I might be welcome, is all. I…did something that-um, that sort of alienated myself from them, and it’s been so long-” She tells him awkwardly.

Five frowns, expression turning harsh. He hadn’t talked about her novel in this run.

“No Vanya. You’re very welcome. If anyone says otherwise…” Five trails off, an agitated smile curling on his lips. “I _assure_ you that no one will say otherwise.” He calmly promises her, pulling open the car passenger door and politely motioning her in.

“Finally.” Diego mutters sourly.

Vanya gives him a cautious smile before getting inside. Five shuts the door after, making sure she’s properly seated and idly listening to her muffled voice greet Diego. He opens the back-car door for himself. As he slides in, Klaus gives him an excited twiddle of his fingers in greeting.

“You’ve returned to me at last, my beautiful brother! It’s been 58 years!” the man cries dramatically, flopping forward in an attempt to hug him again.

Klaus has been clingy lately. More so than usual. Perhaps its misplaced guilt.

Five simply places out his palm, slightly pushing Klaus’s face away from him with clear intent that he isn’t interested in more physical contact. Vanya gives a soft hello to Klaus as she buckles her seatbelt, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ears.

“Hello dear Vanya, so good for you to join us on this fantastically breakfast-y morning.” Klaus greets with a wide smile. “Look at us! A whole five siblings out of seven! Not bad at all if I do say so!” he chirps happily, easily breaking the awkward quiet tension of the car. “It’s almost like we’re doing the function without the _dys_ function part! Oh, I am just so _proud_ of us.” he laughs with a dramatic weepy tone.

“Think you need to go back to first grade math Klaus.” Diego snorts as he pulls out from the side of the road and starts the drive to their diner destination.

 _“If only the poor man knew.”_ Ben sighs with amusement.

“Well _I_ think you need to wear a different color other than black but it looks like neither of us are getting what we want today!” Klaus snarks back with a lazy smile.

 _“Well technically we’re all getting waffles, so we ARE getting what we want today.”_ Ben retorts and Five can hear the smile in the man’s voice.

“Got me there.” Klaus mumbles with chuckle, pressing his cheek against the cold glass of the car window with a content groan.

He can see Klaus fidgeting. It’s as if the man can’t stay still in his own skin. His expression is uncomfortable, fingers tapping incessantly against his ripped-up jeans in a desperate attempt to help filter out the jittery energy and shakes the withdrawal is giving him. He wonders how long Klaus has been waiting for any company at all to help him shake his habit. Even before, Five can recall the man’s words before in the kitchen of the house, how his sibling mentioned being around other people helps get the edge off a little bit.

Five can’t help but wonder how long Klaus has been calling out for attention and receiving no answer in return.

Why couldn’t they just do better for each other?

His finger runs idly down the spine of the book again, pondering his course of action. He could talk to Vanya about her powers, show her proof right in Reginald’s book that she has them. It might be too unpredictable with her emotions to tell her in a public place, and Diego is a wild card when it comes to Vanya. Then again, Diego also has a family-oriented mentality, no matter how much he tries to pretend otherwise.

The silence in the car feels tense.

“Sooo, what are we all ordering for breakfast? I mean I know I’m getting waffles.” Klaus rambles, unafraid to talk through the quiet that’s lingering in the vehicle.

“Eggs.” Diego mutters.

“Oh come _on!_ Branch out why don’t you?” Klaus whines, running a tired hand through his dark disheveled locks.

“They’re healthy for you. Unlike you clowns, I want to stay in shape.”

“Eggs don’t sound so bad.” Vanya says in subdued agreement. “An omelet sounds sort of nice.”

“Vanya not you too! At least throw a muffin in with it or something!” Klaus despairs at the boring breakfast choices.

“Eggs with pancakes.” Diego concedes after a moment of thought.

“…Like how mom makes.” Vanya says, a smile in her voice.

Diego glances at her for a moment before turning his glance back at the road. “Yeah. Like how mom makes ‘em.”

“I’m getting waffles because I have _taste_ unlike you heathens.” Klaus yawns, stretching out his arms and allowing them to flop every which way. “How about you, darling?” Klaus asks him with a knowing wink.

Five doesn’t say anything for a moment, staring at Klaus with a furrowed brow and heavy gaze. He didn’t realize it right away, but his brother is rambling like this on purpose. Klaus is opening up a dialogue for everyone in the care to chime in, making them feel less awkward all being together in such a tight space with so much of their past still left unsaid.

Maybe the man’s real gift is giving everyone a voice. Five can’t help but feel extremely lucky Klaus is with him at the moment. Without him, the likelihood of this outing turning extremely awkward or extremely tense skyrockets.

“I’m having waffles too.” He mutters faintly, turning to gaze out the window.

“Peanut butter and applesauce?” Klaus asks. “And everyone thinks _I’m_ the weird one of the family.”

Five pauses, slowly turning his head to glance back at Klaus with a confused squint. That hadn’t happened this time. Klaus hadn’t known his favorite waffle combination before, the man had claimed Ben told him.

Was that a lie?

_“Don’t knock it until you try it. It was pretty good honestly when I tried them. Can’t go wrong with chocolate chip though.”_

“He’s always liked peanut butter.” Vanya says, giving out a small laugh. “But he has a bigger sweet tooth, so it’s always peanut butter with something sweet. Marshmallow. Chocolate. Applesauce.” She lists off with warmth in her voice.

“I’m right here.” Five huffs.

“Sorry.” Vanya apologizes, turning back to give him a brief and sheepish half-smile.

“Yeah, but warm peanut butter, then putting applesauce on top of that? Weird.” Diego huffs in amusement. “And you’re not just getting waffles Five. I expect you to at least have some fruit and yogurt with that.”

Klaus sighs dreamily. “Your punishment is to eat _more_ food. What a life.”

“Did you…I mean-are the people who attacked you guys…” Vanya trails off, suddenly hesitant about approaching a more serious topic. “Did they get caught? Are you all really okay?”

“They aren’t an issue anymore so let’s just leave it at that.” Diego mutters, shutting down that conversation immediately. “We’re all alive.”

Diego likely doesn’t believe Vanya can handle anything that isn’t out of the norm, as she was never a part of that life, in even childhood.

“They’re dead.” Five informs her dimly.

 _“Maybe not the best thing to start the morning with.”_ Ben tells him in light disapproval.

Vanya doesn’t say anything afterwards, nodding stoically in conflict. Five looks out the window again, watching the streets go by among the cloudy grey sky. Eventually Griddy’s Doughnuts comes into view and they’ve arrived at their destination at last. The four all make their way into the diner, the bell jingling as Diego opens the door. There’s an awkward moment of hesitation as they locate a booth, not knowing who should sit by who.

Klaus has no issue with societal pleasantries though and wastes no time sliding in into a booth by himself. Five gestures to Vanya to sit across from the man, sliding into the seat shortly after her to sit by his sister. Diego accepts sitting by Klaus and takes a seat at the booth with a sour expression. Clearly the man is trying is biting his tongue so Five will be amiable to listen to him later.

The awkward silence ensues.

Vanya awkwardly shifts out of her coat, fiddling with the buttons on her shirt in silence. “So…was that your choice to wear a hoodie?” she asks Five with a tentative smile, eying the oversized garment with fondness.

“You know very well it wasn’t..” he huffs back to her, pushing back the sleeves in agitation.

They simply slide right back down.

She hides a smile by looking down at her lap. Five internally is so utterly endeared. He doesn’t understand why his sister of all people had to live such a terrible life and has to live such a dull one now. Is she happy like this?

“It’s a good look on him isn’t it, Vanya?” Klaus grins lazily, resting his cheek on his hand upon the table. “Fivey, that clothing style is called ‘casual’. Have you ever heard of it?” the man teases, looking at him with a playful glimmer in his eye.

Five scowls at him. “And what would you call _your_ style Klaus? Homeless costume shop?”

 _“Boom!”_ Ben laughs.

Diego snorts, covering up his amusement quickly after with a harsh clearing of his throat.

“That’s the _sweetest_ thing you’ve ever _said_ to me.” Klaus breathes in dramatic emotion, placing a hand to his chest.

“I guess some things never change.” Vanya murmurs to herself, a small laugh tumbling from her lips.

“Well hello there, folks.” Greets the old waitress kindly, the woman walking up to them with a tray of waters and a handful of menus. “Good morning to all of you. I hope you’re having a nice day so far.”

It’s the same woman that’s always here. Agnes. He almost feels bad for killing off her potential happy ending with Hazel. Almost. Clearly, she’s been working at this outdated diner for most of her life, and that’s certainly not in any way a good thing.

“Can I start you off with some drinks?” Agnes asks the crew with a sweet smile.

“Coffee.” Five immediately blurts, the craving hitting him like a freight train.

“No.” Diego commands pins him with an authoritative stare. “And I’m not budging on that.”

Why can’t he just have a damn cup of coffee? God it feels like it’s been fifty years since he’s even gotten to have a decent cup because he keeps getting interrupted at every turn!

“Oh, I’m sorry young man, looks like your dad won’t be very happy with me if I let you have coffee. How about something else? Some juice? We have plenty of flavors.” Agnes smiles good-naturedly.

Diego blinks in surprise. “Wait what- “

“How about milk?” Vanya suggests to him quickly with a sympathetic smile, helping bring the conversation back on track. “Chocolate milk?”

It doesn’t sound like the worst decision.

“Fine." He relents with a cross of his arms after a moment, staring down at the table with a pointed stare. "That will be acceptable.”

Klaus chuckles in endearment at the action. “I want chocolate milk too! That sounds _faantastic_ right now.”

“Um…now that I think about, I might go for that too please.” Vanya lightly interjects with a sheepish smile. “There’s something a bit…fun about that. It’s like revisiting childhood.”

“What’s the point in getting milk if you just waste the potential by putting sugar into it.” Diego rolls his eyes.

“Um, because it tastes good?” Klaus drawls, shifting to laying his hand on his arms on the table, table manners be damned.

Diego shakes his head in exasperation. “I’ll take a _regular_ glass of milk please because I’m not a child, and also waters for everyone here. Thanks.”

 _"This is nice, isn't it?"_ Ben interrupts softly, the smile in his voice able to be heard.

Five takes a moment to just sit and take in the sights and sounds of the familiar diner. Sitting here with his siblings, it almost reminds him of back then. Almost. It’s almost ironic that he’s in the same body but he as a person is so different. Agnes doesn’t take long with the drinks, passing them out amongst the table. He takes a sip and is thrown back into his childhood at the familiar sweetness of the chocolate amongst the cold milk. There’s a conflicting feeling that tumbles around, as if he doesn’t know if he should enjoy the feeling for what it is, or push that down because its entirely irrelevant.

“Oh yeah, this is the good kush.” Klaus moans after taking a long and satisfied slurping sip through the straw, having no such reservations.

“It’s chocolate milk, not a miracle.” Diego drones with a roll of his eyes.

Vanya has a small satisfied smile of her own as she takes a tentative sip of her drink. Five understands why. There’s something about the nostalgia that even makes his heart a bit warm. He wonders if his sister has good memories about things like food because it was one of the only times she actually was allowed to be with her siblings.

“Are you ready to order, or do you need some time?” Agnes smiles, a little twinkle in her eyes of something Five can’t quite name.

“We’re probably ready.” Diego announces, gesturing blandly for Vanya to go first as he takes a sip of his drink.

The man freezes mid swallow, dark eyes narrowing at his glass. Five feels his lips crookedly upturn in dry amusement as he realizes Diego’s glass of milk looks the same as everyone else’s. Agnes must have accidentally forgotten not to make all of them chocolate. It isn't as if anyone can blame the woman, she's clearly old enough to have memory issues. Or at least that's what Five would have thought had he not noticed the very obvious mischief twinkling in her eyes just moments before. He waits for Diego to point out the issue with light curiosity. The man was always a secret softie about things like this.

Diego doesn’t say anything at all about her mistake, and Five can't help but find that predictable. A momma's boy through and through. If anything, he watches as the man gives the table a furtive glance before sneaking in another quiet sip, turning his attention fully to Agnes. If anyone notices the mistake, it’s not mentioned over Vanya’s soft murmur of her breakfast order.

Being in an outdated diner bickering amongst his siblings might become his new normal if the apocalypse is gone.

Five can’t find himself to mind too terribly much.

He might be able to accept that even.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I missed you guys :) I hope you missed me too <3 Sorry, so sorry for such a long wait. and I'm even more sorry that I didn't come back with a super interesting chapter. I wanted it to be longer, but I had about 6 pages and I was like you know what, I'll just write a bit more and post this because there's no point in letting this sit around. At least let me get back in the groove here. BUT hey at least we have Vanya!!
> 
> Good news, I think I've landed myself a job today! I'm hoping that I'll be back in action with the chapters soon enough as well! Or at the very least not taking a whole month to get this one out.
> 
> Thank you so much for your patience. I really did miss all of you, and thank you for sticking with me through this rough time. Not out of the woods yet, but I think we're starting to get there.


	21. II. Flat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which some of the cracks are smoothed, and some just run deeper

Eating is a strange concept to Five now that his world doesn’t consist of embers and a primary vicious instinct to simply survive. Even as the years passed and the weather changed, food had always been a questionable resource in the future. He hasn’t given it much thought during his time now back in the present. The unconscious relief of scarfing down any processed sugar he could immediately get his hands on had been too overwhelming to stop and think about the implications.

But now in a lull of activity, he stares down at his plate of waffles in contemplation, fighting the urge to take nibbles of it and stow most of it away for later. Hide it, so it could be safe from disease or bugs. Hide it, so he knows he can eat again when his stomach starts turning inside out. Hide it, so he has a sense of security that he won’t be curling in on himself from pain for one more day. Five doesn’t know why the urge hits him so terribly now, but it does in a wave and it makes it skin crawl and itch with unease.

Perhaps the strange fever dream seems to have taken its toll in more ways than one.

Instead then, he allows himself instead to observe. His siblings have already wasted no time tucking into their food as soon as it arrived in their own mannerisms. He watches Klaus go in spurts of practically inhaling the food, and then slowly languishing on a single bite with sloppy chews and lidded eyes. Diego eats with slight vigor, but always keeps his mouth politely closed while chewing, and holds his silverware with proper etiquette techniques but cuts into his breakfast with too much force. It’s almost funny. Vanya nibbles away at her own steady pace, several steps behind the others. She takes pauses to sip at her milk and glance out the window, and Five wishes he could understand what she’s thinking.

He subtly scans the three in quiet contemplation, almost wanting to call the feeling content. Almost. Klaus catches his eyes on the way back and the man winks at him silently. The man’s hazel eyes flick down to the plate to see Five’s untouched meal, and then they swivel back up with a confused raise of his brow. Five pays Klaus no mind, deciding to push around the fruit he was given with his fork, trying to make it look as if it had been at least tasted. It isn’t as if he could get away with taking all the food back with him anyways, he knows he should eat. It’s unsettling though, the way he is struggling with this out of nowhere.

“Want to try my muffin?” Klaus offers with a grin, cutting a portion off and holding up the crumbly baked good with his bare hand.

“No.”

“Aw come on! Let’s trade! I want to try one of your waffles and in return I give you some of my muffin. It’s a fair deal! I know my muffin is incredible, and muffins are a safe bet. I don’t even know what your weirdo combination of waffles is going to taste like. I’m the one with everything to lose here darling.” Klaus grins, already getting up and leaning over the table with clumsy enthusiasm.

Five watches with fond exasperation as the man steals an entire waffle off of his place by stabbing it in the middle with a fork, depositing the muffin delicately in its place. Diego barks out a warning exclamation as Klaus drags the peanut buttery applesauce waffle back over to him, spilling some of the topping onto the table along the way.

“Don’t steal his food, he needs his strength.” Diego chides in frustration as Klaus takes a large bite out of the entire waffle, still pierced on the fork like a strange kabob.

“Hey I shared back!” Klaus whines with his mouth full, eyes suddenly widening in revelation. “Oh my _God_ , I totally get it. I totally understand the peanut butter and applesauce combination on waffles now! Oh _honey_ you’ve been holding out on us oh _god_ , this is so good. PB&A…. Iconic. Truly iconic.” Klaus moans in delight, scarfing down the rest of his waffle like the true homeless vagabond he looks like.

Diego shakes his head, returning to his eggs. Five glances over to see Vanya observing him with a sad look in her dark eyes. It immediately has him bristling, his eyes hardening by reflex as if to prove there’s nothing to see and there’s nothing she can find. He says nothing, but watches as she glances down to his plate and back up to him with a meaningful expression.

Why aren’t you eating? That’s the question her eyes ask to him softly. He could say so many different responses and they would all make sense or be perfectly justified. But the truth of it all is just that he’s not right in his own head sometimes, and that’s the scariest thought of all.

His mind is everything he has.

So he turns back to his plate and picks up the chunk of crumbling muffin that Klaus offered, and begins to rip off small pieces of it with his fingers to nibble on. It’s good. It’s so good that it’s exasperating. He has this thing about sugar, a gigantic love hate relationship with it. Eating that twinkie in the apocalypse with the confidence of its neverending shelf life hit him hard against the desire for processed sugary goodness. When he came back to the present though, those cravings simply returned tenfold. No amount of twinkie trauma could repress his absolute need for these delectably terrible sweets.

If he could live off of chocolate, marshmallow fluff, and cake, he probably would.

There’s little conversation at the table, an easygoing remark from Klaus here and there interrupts the clattering and clinking of silverware every so often. It’s not a bad silence, all things considered. A bit awkward perhaps, but not bad. Still, this strange distance between everyone, it really does make him ponder what had all happened when he was away. It is easy to put together bits and pieces just from context and logic. Ben’s death.  Vanya’s book. There had been too much damage from their childhood to repair the fractures that had silently been building with each year.

He wonders if he could have stopped this.

He wonders if he would have even cared enough. Wouldn’t he have been just as self-absorbed and immature as everyone else? And doesn’t it just figure that he’s the only one that knows what the hell he’s doing even after all this time. The irony is not lost on him that he remains in the body of his childhood, and yet is the only one who actually gives a damn about this family. Everything he has done and will do, is for them and yet they couldn’t even do the same for each other with all these years together.

Agnes eventually comes back around with the bill, giving them all her signature sweet smile and gratitude for stopping by. Diego takes it without a second thought, staring down Vanya with hard dark eyes as she begins to reach out to pay for her own portion. His challenging stare easily makes her hesitate; the woman awkwardly placing her hand back down in her lap in light confusion.

“I got it.” He announces gruffly, barely giving the price a glance before slipping several crisp bills in the book holder and snapping it shut with finality.

“Are you sure Diego? I can- “Vanya speaks hesitantly, falling silent when he levels her with another hard stare.

Five watches from the corner of his eye as his sister fidgets in her seat lightly, tapping a finger on her pant before digging into her purse anyways and picking out a couple dollar bills. She offers the cash to him with a small smile, bordering on playful.

“At least let me help add to the tip. She deserves a lot for putting up with us.” She tries to joke, but it comes out flat and awkward.

Diego takes the cash anyways and Five exhales through his nostrils slowly in subdued relief. He doesn’t know if this is a tentative first step to bridging the gap between this broken family, but he will take these moments of rooftop chases and arguing any day. His finger strokes the outline of the journal resting in the hoodie’s central pocket with silent contemplation.

He should tell Vanya.

Ignorance and secrets in an already broken family will only serve to cause more damage. Leonard Peabody was perfect proof of that. Certain things need to be brought to light for this family to grow up and move on. If he can present them in a controlled environment and manner, it will be difficult but doable. Slowly but surely, they can mend. How is it fair to his sister that she lives in a world of monochrome just because she is special? How is it fair that she had to suffer so many years alone because she had too much brilliance? She deserved the truth.

“Vanya, I should like to talk to you when you have some time.” Five says, earning a smile from her.

“I’m free until early evening. I took a half day and cancelled some of my early afternoon lessons.” She tells him, her brown eyes tender with dedication.

“Hey, we had a deal.” Diego protests, waving a fork around as he shovels some leftovers into a to-go container. “You get a happy little family outing and then you rest.”

“I can rest at the house, in my room.” Five mutters mulishly, crossing his arms. “Vanya being there doesn’t make any difference to that.”

“When I say rest, I mean actually rest. Do you know that? Do you know what rest means? Close your eyes, sleep. Rest your body.” Diego grumbles, sliding out of the booth and pinning him with an unyielding look.

“I will rest Diego.” Five agrees. “I just want to converse with Vanya for a bit before I do. Surely this isn’t some terrible request. She can watch over me.” He says in an attempt to appease the man and his surge of motherly hovering.

“Yeah, and you’ll have your little bachelor pad back! That’s exciting!” Klaus grins, stretching himself out wide like a cat before lazily getting to his feet.

“I really will watch over him.” Vanya speaks up, her voice strangely serious. “You have my word Diego. His rest and recovery are priority, I know that.”

He wants to be offended that she’s so serious about his protection, but it’s always different with Vanya. It always has been and it always will be. It makes him feel loved. These last few days have taught him that deep down, no matter how bad, that his family still loves one another. Diego had slaved over his comfort and well being because the man didn’t want to trust anyone else with Five’s care, and watched him every step of the way. If they are so serious about his health that they mutually bond over it, then maybe he needs to swallow his pride and accept it.

Maybe.

“I need to stop by the house for awhile anyways.” Diego grouses, and that’s as close to him relenting as it’d get.

“Can we have a sleepover in your room?” Klaus asks as the group walk out of the building, patting his full belly with a large exhale. “I am sohoh _hooo_ ready for a food coma.”

 _“We should leave Five and Vanya to themselves Klaus, we’ve been hogging him.”_ Ben chimes in, almost sounding reluctant with his last sentence.

“Boooooo…” Klaus whines, yawning loudly. He rubs his eye sloppily, only smudging his already smeared eyeliner even worse. “We’re calling dibs after nap time though; I want to play Uno.”

Vanya eyes Klaus with and unreadable expression as they reach the car, quickly glancing away to mind her own business. The weather has lightened up considerably. A bit of sun now peeks through the clouds, bringing some calm warmth to the crisp air. The four (five) all cram back into Diego’s car in a familiar silence. This time though, the silence doesn’t hang thickly around them like static. It’s a more content quiet, almost peaceful in nature.

It’s amazing that a simple breakfast can begin the process of healing old cracks.

Five leans against the door, lazily scanning the streets and apartments that pass by. He feels tired. Being present and aware is still more of a struggle than he’d like it to be at this point in time. His body isn’t as accustomed to this sort of physical pain yet, weapons and steel had not been introduced extensively into his life at this point, not until the apocalypse and his job afterwards. Training as a child was more focused on his powers. Of course combat had been introduced even at a younger age, but he was simply too fast on his feet to understand the pain of being outright shot or stabbed.

His eyes close for a moment, and when they open again the car is just pulling up into the side entrance of the house in the alleyway. He exits the car gingerly, feeling his body ache lightly with fatigue. It’s so annoying being a child. Klaus ruffles his hair lightly as the man passes, earning a half-hearted swat back in exasperation.

 _“Haha, maybe Diego was right. Nap first then talk?”_ Ben suggests.

Five simply rolls his eyes.

Diego pushes open the door to their childhood home with practice familiarity, stretching out his neck idly as the others fill in after him. The first thing they hear as they all pile inside is muffled shouting. Klaus and Five’s eyes meet with uncertainty as Diego looks up at the ceiling with confusion.

“The hell?” the man mutters, immediately making a beeline into the next room to stalk up the stairs.

The voices are unmistakably Luther and Allison. In a way that almost makes it worse. Five doesn’t think he’s ever heard them raise their voices at each other like this. Unable to resist his curiosity, he follows Diego into the main half and up the stairs as well. He’s already winded by the time he reaches the halfway point, but the voices are becoming clearer as they ascend, the argument starting to take shape. Vanya and Klaus have apparently followed suit as well, lingering a couple steps behind him as Diego takes the lead.

“How many times do I need to say that I did what I thought was right!” Luther’s voice booms in assured determination.

“As many times as you need to! Say something else Luther. For _once_ in your life, say something else to me! I don’t want to hear the same thing over again!”

“Allison-Allison what do you want from me? We’ve been fighting about this for days-I-what do you _want_?”

“I want you to apologize and admit that you were wrong! That _we_ were wrong!”

A pause.

“…I can’t apologize for doing what was ri- “

“Oh my _God!_ ” Allison groans. “I can’t do this with you. Every time I calm down and think that maybe we could have a talk about this-but I just- “

Diego decides to take this moment to intervene.

“Hey! What the hell is this?” he barks, approaching the two who are standing in the middle of the hallway looking every bit like they’ve already been arguing for an hour.

Luther clenches his jaw in response while Allison puts a hand to her temples.

She sighs. “Nothing. Just-it’s nothing Diego.”

“Allison- “

She stops Luther by holding her other hand up to him, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she does so. “It’s nothing.” She repeats sternly.

Deeming it’s safe to ascend, Five trudges up the last set of stairs with a rough exhale, feeling more ready for that nap with every step. Allison’s face softens into something concerned and deeply apologetic as she meets Five’s eyes.

“You’re okay.” She utters softly, taking a step forward and promptly freezing in place as Klaus comes up and throws a lazy arm over Five’s shoulders.

He looks up to see his brother has taken a page from his own book. The man is smiling far too sharply to look friendly and his teeth are showing just a tad too much. Five feels the man’s hand squeeze his shoulder lightly, as if to say to Allison that she can think twice before approaching. This entire scenario feels a bit upside down. Allison and Luther are arguing. Klaus is acting overly emboldened. Five is too tired both physically and mentally to try and figure this all out.

“Lover's spat?” Klaus asks jovially, barely concealed malice oozing from his sugary tone.

“Five.” Luther says tensely, ignoring Klaus. “We should talk.”

That alone sets Diego’s temper into a boil, his nostrils flaring in anger. “Man fuck you.” He drawls, pushing two fingers into Luther’s chest and getting into the man’s space. “I just called you about the situation and that’s all you have to say? Seriously? Fuck. _You._ ” He emphasizes with a sneer. "We almost died out there and all you care about is yourself. When are you going to get over yourself man? Huh?"

Luther clenches and releases his fists, trying to reign back his control. It’s clear whatever him and Allison have been arguing about has teetered that perfect leader composure more than once. Such a dangerous weakness to exploit. Is it any wonder the man is so predictable? If Five wasn't so tired of this whole pointless endeavor he might feel concerned. But right now he's just tired. Very tired.

“I-Look that’s not what I-“Luther tries feebly but finds himself at a loss for words. “Later. We can talk later. I just wanted to say that-I didn’t _want_ to fight but you left me no choice and- “

“Just stop Luther. Know when to quit.” Allison grits out, turning back to Five. “I am.. _so_ sorry Five. For everything. I-we’re family and…” she trails off as her eyes catch Vanya lurking behind them in the background. “And I should have been a sister first, and questioned you second.” She finishes, fiddling with one of her golden bracelets. “I’ll be here if you need anything, okay? I’m…I _am_ sorry.”

Apparently she doesn't understand her own lesson of knowing when to quit, because this is just as draining as dealing with Luther.

“Splendid. Now please move out of the way.” He drones apathetically.

Allison looks at him, her eyes flicking to her other siblings bracketing him before taking a dejected step to the side. At least she’s smart enough to pick her battles. Five has no doubt that she will try and corner him when he’s alone to use her wonderful and persuasive word choice on him to ask for forgiveness, but at least it’s not now. Diego is still staring Luther down with aggression lining his frame but has backed off to keep his distance. Luther looks strangely alone, standing there tall and out of place as he stares at Five with unreadable eyes.

“Dad would have wanted me to stop you. I was just trying to do right by that, so I can't apologize.” Luther says, not backing down from his ideals, not even to apologize for harming his own sibling. "I was _justified._ " he repeats firmly.

“You don’t know anything about what the old man wanted.” Five smiles tiredly back up at him, feeling pity line his heart for his stupid fool of a brother. “You really don’t.”

The journal feels heavy in his pocket.

“And you do, Number Five?” Luther challenges, eyes burning with something maddened. “You do?” he repeats.

There’s so much aggression in the giant man’s frame, it’s almost frightening just because of his size alone. Five swallows thickly, but doesn’t cower, choosing to look Luther straight in the eyes even as the man draws himself to his full height. He doesn’t know why Luther is acting like this. It’s easy to get under the man’s skin, anything mentioned Reginald is an easy way to get there, but some of this anger seems unnatural and misplaced. Perhaps it’s a combination of everything piling up, Reginald’s death, the rooftop chase, the apparent unraveling of his and Allison’s understanding of one another. He watches quietly as Luther takes an aggressive step forward.

“You always act like this, like you’re better than us. I’ve been the leader of this group, of this _family_ for years while you just-ran away from it.”

Five inhales slowly, choosing not to allow that to hurt. It doesn't. Klaus squeezes his shoulder.

“Luther-“he tries rationally, trying not to get irritated at the scenario.

“How can _you_ claim to still know better than us? Than _me?_ I held everything together, _me!_ While you were off gallivanting in the fu- “

“SHUT UP!” Klaus interrupts viciously, his voice echoing off the walls into the stark silence.

Everyone is so surprised that the almost frantic laughter from Klaus following after bursts into the quiet like nails on a chalkboard. Five can feel the man’s hand on his shoulder clenching and unclenching before the other hand mirrors the same on his other shoulder. Klaus lightly steers Five forwards to continue the trek up to his room.

“Our dear baby brother needs his beauty sleep! No time for chatting now, that’s all!” Klaus titters choppily, adrenaline and frenzied energy thick in his words as he urges Five along quickly, as if he's only now realized what he's done.

“ _Klaus.”_ Ben calls softly.

There’s a small noise of movement behind him and Five somehow just knows that it’s Vanya following them.

“Wait I didn’t-“ Luther’s voice calls after them after a moment, the man’s brain finally catching up to his words.

Eventually after one more set of stairs, Five’s room is reached. He’s beginning to feel a cold sweat coming on with the exertion, having forgotten just how many stairs there are in this accursed building. Klaus slams the door shut behind Vanya, whirling around and digging the heels of his palms into his eyes.

“God! He just fuckin’ pisses me off!” Klaus seethes, pacing the floor. “Acting like he kept our family together. Well look at us now!” he barks out a hysterical laugh. We sure are one big _happy_ family aren’t we?!” he grins shakily as he drops his hands. “He’s such a fucking prick! Acting like-acting like you didn’t go through hell and back you know?”

 _Did_ Klaus know?

Vanya helps Five settle into a comfortable sitting position at his headboard, propping up some pillows for him for support. She softly pushes some strands away from his face with a sad smile, turning to Klaus with the same expression.

“He really is an asshole sometimes.” Vanya agrees stoically, earning a lighter laugh from Klaus.

“Klaus.” Five commands, watching the man immediately turn his entire attention to him.

So earnest to help, so dedicated. Five observes his brother’s smudged face and stressed hand fidgeting. He observes his brother’s constant sniffs and agitated fingers running through his unkempt hair. He observes his red-rimmed eyes from emotional distress and the antsy shuffling on the balls of his feet. Klaus is supposed to be self-absorbed, only looking out for himself and the next rush. This is the man who is either always drunk or always high, and yet he’s shown the most kindness and loyalty throughout this endeavor so far. He’s stood up for Five time and time again, in more than one timeline.

And Klaus has never asked once for anything in return except for Five’s company. His heart aches in a way he doesn’t understand, but the sudden and frantic need to soothe his brother’s surfacing hurt cannot be contained.

“Do you want to play Uno?” he asks gently, more gently than he should have ever asked such a ridiculous question.

Seeing his brother’s face light up like he’s just been given the perfect present is worth it though. Vanya smiles at the eager expression on their brother’s face as well, resting her hand on Five’s own in tentative pride at his kindness. The humorous enthusiasm wears off quicker than usual though, and instead Five is pinned with the grateful hazel eyes of his brother thanking him so genuinely that he needs to turns his head away.

That doesn’t stop Klaus from making his way over to join the other two sitting on the bed, leaning to envelop Five in a gentle hug from the side in thanks. Five sighs, but finds his hand moving to rest his palm on the back of the man’s head gently, his other squeezing Vanya’s hand back. There’s the faintest sensation of something cold that touches the nape of his neck and his eyes close knowingly, Ben’s gratitude also being made known.

He supposes that maybe, they might always be broken. But…at least they could be broken together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //OH MY LORD SHE'S BACK!! 
> 
> I know I'm SO sorry for the delay it's been so long but like I promised, this story is not going to be another incomplete among the masses. We're continuing on everyone! <3 Thank you for your patience and I'm sorry this chapter might be disappointing after waiting so long, but I hope you can enjoy it nonetheless! More to come, that I promise you. i really missed you guys and all of your comments. That sort of validation has helped me so much to continue the story and I am so excited to be back!


	22. II. Serialism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Five's world crumbles

Five doesn’t remember his eyelids growing heavy to the point where he couldn't keep them open. He doesn’t remember Vanya and Klaus looking at each other knowingly over his drooping head. He doesn’t remember them quietly guiding him to his bed and tucking him under the covers. Not the soft touches of Vanya checking his wounds or the removal of a soft weight from his stomach. His head is filled with hushed murmurs and the soft tap of cards being placed down even after he is in bed. He remembers having fun, even if Ben was cheating a little to help Klaus win in an effort to make their upset brother regain his smile. Five allowed it for one round, but after that it had been fair game. Vanya was surprisingly adept at the game, and over the course of several rounds they had all at least scored a win.

That’s the beauty of chance, Five supposes. It was an equal playing field for everyone, or rather, an unevenly equal playing field. No one was favored over another.

But it had been nice.

His mind is still black when he hears the door open, more murmurs.

Blissfully dark once again.

But when his eyes snap open again to shake the ash from his mind, his side is aching and there’s a bead of sweat building up on his forehead. Five stares up at the familiar ceiling in breathless disorientation. It’s not dark out, the curtains have simply been shut to keep too much of the daylight from creeping in. His hands automatically clench in anxiety, earning of a sharp flare of pain through his stitched hand as a warning to release the tension. Did he have a nightmare? Was it so bad that it woke him up but too familiar that he couldn’t even remember it? The mind is so annoyingly fickle sometimes.

He maneuvers himself into a sitting position, wincing at his throbbing side. The sheets and comforter have been thrown about. A restless sleep then. It’s nothing new. Five grimaces as he wipes across his forehead, feeling too warm in his brother’s oversized clothing. It only serves as a reminder of how stuck he truly is in the younger shell of himself. That thought is enough to propel him out of bed and over to the closet. At the very least he can thank Vanya and Klaus for leaving him in these casual clothes and not being stupid enough to think otherwise. The black overgrown garment is casually pulled off his torso and chucked onto the bed, the coolness of the room giving him relief now that he is free of the thick fabric. His hand automatically reaches out for a crisp white uniform blouse, refusing to wear something like his pajamas just because he has an injury. The buttons take longer to do up because of his injured hand, which earns them a whispered curse before he eventually finishes. He gingerly slips on his sweater vest of checkered reds, blacks, and silvers before slipping on the classic blazer. Shorts, socks, dress shoes. Check, check, and check. Five eyes the black tie for a moment before scoffing and swiping it to put on.

Might as well just complete the ensemble. Presentation is important regardless of a state of being.

He’s straightening out his tie in familiarity when a thought hits so hard he draws in a physical exhale. Five turns around swiftly, grabbing Diego’s hoodie he was previously wearing with tense fingers. He can already feel the lack of familiar weight, his hand patting down the garment in disbelief.

Where is the journal?

He inhales deeply through his nostrils, moving around to the desk beside his bed. Perhaps Vanya or Klaus simply set it on the table or somewhere else trying to be considerate towards him. Vanya isn’t a snoop; she wouldn’t have taken such a thing. Not even if she had seen their father’s initials. She wouldn’t. Klaus knows how important the journal is and certainly wouldn’t have swiped it unless he wanted to maybe keep it safe while Five was asleep. Five bites another curse, his hands winding up to push through his dark locks of hair in frustration.

It isn’t here. The journal isn’t here.

He decides to panic later, swallowing that irrational burst of adrenaline down and using that to instead leave his room to go on the hunt for his two siblings that had been with him last. The sun hasn’t set yet, and he can surmise by its position it's around late afternoon. He had not been out for very long at all. His feet descend the numerous stairs down onto the main floor. Five heads down and peeks his head into the sitting area, finding not a soul.

The house is quiet.

He doesn’t know why that unnerves him. Someone should be here. Someone has to be here. They couldn’t possibly all be out at the moment, and Diego would throw a fit if he knew Five was left alone regardless of if he was resting. Right?

So where is everyone?

The only current sounds Five can hear are his own footsteps across the old wooden floors and the muffled sounds of the streets outside. He pauses, listens for anything at all. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He wanders the halls. There’s no one, no one at all who is waiting for him. As he continues down a hallway, the sound of soft humming meets his ears. His feet automatically take him towards it, finding his way inside the kitchen. Dark golden hair curled perfectly to a pristine vision meets Five’s eyes as he gazes upon Grace’s back. She’s humming an old familiar tune, cooking something at the stove. Five takes in her pastel blue dress and dainty ensemble with apathetic eyes, something akin to pity lining his gut.

“Grace.” He greets to her neutrally, hoping she might at least have some answers about where his wayward siblings might be.

She turns to his voice and levels him with a warm smile, slender hands going to smooth down her apron. “Oh hello Five, dear. Would you like a late lunch, or early dinner perhaps depending on how you prefer?” she titters with a little giggle as if they are sharing an inside joke.

“No thank you, Grace. I’m hoping you might be privy to the location of Klaus or Vanya.”

His false mother simply flashes him that same smile, white teeth behind ruby red lips smiling daintily in symmetrical fashion.

“Why I’m certain they are around! Though Diego dear had to leave for work. He’s always staying active.” She says fondly, the warmth in her voice so genuine that it’s still hard to believe she’s not human. “Such a hard worker that boy.”

“Where are they?”

“Perhaps you should ask your father, dear. I’m sure he’d know, but first you should sit down for a nice meal! I’m making pancakes.” she says distractedly, turning back to the stove.

His lips automatically curl into a sneer, wondering what sort of message she’s trying to imply by telling him to talk to Reginald. It’s only until she turns back to continue cooking that he realizes smell of burning food. Diego had said, or rather implied in his own way that Grace might not be doing so well. Seeing it in person is strange. If he didn’t know what his mother truly is, he could only surmise she made a small mistake. But androids don’t make mistakes as simple as burning the food. He’s never felt as close of a bond to Grace as the others. It isn’t that she had done her job poorly, it’s simply that Five doesn’t trust easily. Grace had always been good to him though; she was good to everyone. At the very least he could internally thank her that she had been around to smooth out the edges just a bit from many of the sharp wounds that Reginald inflicted. Sometimes that can make all the difference.

Unfortunately, it hadn’t for him, but Five certainly doesn’t blame her for a hopeless situation. It’s not in her programming to create miracles.

“Grace, I really need to know where Vanya and Klaus are. Are they in the house or not?” he insists quickly, wanting clarification before he ends up going on a worthless pursuit that wastes time.

“Oh, I’m certain they are nearby Five, you don’t need to worry.” she says, staring down at burnt batter in her pan. “Just take the lift down, darling. That’s where they had been headed last.”

The lift?

“What?” he asks in confusion.

“You just need to take it down, and then you can go spend some time with your brothers and sisters.” She reiterates, turning her head to glance down at him with a maternal smile. “Do you need some help finding it?” she asks gently, holding out her hand as if he’s some sort of lost child that needed to be guided.

“Show me.” He demands testily, refusing her attempt to treat him like the age he looks like.

Grace nods kindly, making her way out of the kitchen. Five watches in discontent, turning back to the stove and silently turning off the hob. He presses his lips together, wondering what could be causing this sort of glitch in her programming. She leads him down the long narrow halls, heels clicking with each measured step. Down a set of stairs, then another. The corridors of this house had always been twisting and turning, but Five had never been down these flights of stairs. The lift looms across from him as they reach the bottom of the flight. Where did it go? Reginald had always been a man of many secrets, too many, but Five had simply thought most of the man’s time was spent in the study; writing of pursuits and secrets the world might never see.

“Oh, and Five…dear?” Grace’s voice rings out, shaking him from his thoughts.

He levels his gaze on her, finding her expression to be eerily unreadable. She’s perched on the second to the last step, a tentative hand on the stair railing.

“This will be our little secret, okay? Your father doesn’t want any of you children to go down here.” She smiles. Perfectly symmetrical, it always is. “Do bring round your siblings up for dinner later, won’t you?” she requests, placing her hands delicately in front of her.

Five stares at her wordlessly for a moment, eventually nodding his head in agreement. With a parting smile and a nod, she begins her ascension back up the stairs. Five listens to the sound of her heels disappear before he looks back to the lift. He opens the intricate metal gate surrounding it, stepping inside the contraption with wariness. A pull of the level and the mechanisms burst into churning sounds.

And it sinks.

And sinks. 

And sinks.

The lights grow dimmer with each level he descends until it stops with a shaky halt. He exits the lift with trepidation, wondering why both Klaus and Vanya would apparently be far below ground level together. Maybe Grace is malfunctioning to the point where even her memory is compromised. He doesn’t even know what’s down here, and he can’t imagine why any of his other siblings would especially they were apparently were not allowed in this area. A long narrow concrete tunnel spans long and open in front of him. Lights hum loudly above, giving the cold grey tunnel some light, though some flicker from age. What is this place? Five moves forward, eyeing two large doors that have already been opened. He stares ahead, down the long expanse with caution.

Luther’s looming form stares back at him from the other side.

 _“It’s Five!”_ Ben shouts in relief.

His heart gives a harsh thud as he realizes that Luther, Allison, and Klaus are also all on the other end. He walks forward blankly, the muffled voices of his siblings arguing now completely silent upon having heard the lift in action.

“Oh, thank _god!_ ” Klaus shouts upon seeing his brother on the other end of the tunnel. “I-I was going to come get you I swear but it all happened-and I just couldn’t leave her and-well it's all a little fucky right now! “Klaus laughs in manic energy, taking a couple staggering steps in Five’s direction.

His pale eyes adjust to the dim lighting as he gets close to his siblings. Immediately he can see Luther’s hand clutching onto the bright red journal of Reginald like a holy bible. That alone is enough to drop his stomach down to the floor. Luther’s frame is tense as a coil ready to burst, and his eyes are glinting with something that Five can’t name. Allison is hesitantly glancing behind him into what seems to be some sort of chamber room that-

His feet stop along with his heart.

Vanya.

She’s slamming and pounding on the other side of the chamber door, only a small window looking in to see her frantic face. Her dark eyes lock onto Five’s and she sobs wordlessly harder, pounding onto the door and putting a palm up to the window as if she is begging him to help. Why is she locked inside? What happened? He can’t even hear her cries from here. The chamber she’s inside is eating any sound she makes, forcing her to be a soundless specter.

Suddenly all of the blood rushes back up into him like it is burning his very veins. His heart which had previously felt suspended in time now beats loudly into his ears. Five feels the righteous anger envelop him like a wildfire, his eyes glinting dangerously as he stares down Luther with that damning crimson book.

“ _What_. Have you done?” He says quietly, his words so sharply cold that it sends a chill throughout the entire room.

Luther inhales audibly at the question, his big fist clenching Reginald’s journal so tightly that his fingers are turning white with the pressure.

“Of course you’d show up.” The man replies, his eyes so self-assured, but there’s something else that that is completely unhinged. “Boy of the hour right here. Of course you need to come and make everything more difficult, just like you always did with-“

Five continues walking forward. “Release her. _Now._ ” He snaps, distracted and unable to help himself from continuously glancing over to his panicked sister.

“Luther, please we can’t just- “Allison tries, reaching out a cautious hand.

“You knew. You knew all along.” Luther grits out, his eyes locked onto Five’s. “You knew there was this gigantic threat from our own sister and you didn’t even try to contain her. You knew, and you did nothing!” he shouts at Five, voice echoing down the walls.

“She’s our sister!” Klaus shouts in frustration. “She wouldn’t- " 

“She can’t control her powers!” Luther retorts back, “She can’t control _anything!_ ”

“I’m warning you. Let her go, she is not a threat to us.” Five warns, finally reaching the end opening room and craning his neck up to stare down his brother with steel eyes.

“You…” Luther seethes, his nostrils flaring in anger. “You were the worst of all. You made his life so difficult. You couldn’t just ever _listen-_ “

“If I had I probably would be dead by now! Or worse, just like all of _you_ selfish assholes!” Five barks back, clenching his hands into fists and feeling the flare of pain in warning on his injured hand. “You had no right to take that journal from my roo-“

He’s cut off by Luther taking a menacing step forward into his space.

“No. I had _every_ right! It’s y _ou_ had no right to keep this to yourself Five. This- _these_ are the answers I needed. This is everything I need to know, so can continue the legacy that dad would have wanted for-“

“Are you completely blind Luther!?” he snaps, gesturing to Vanya behind him. “Do you honestly think for one second that _this_ makes sense!? How long have you been down here arguing with Klaus and Allison about this? Don’t you think that if the entire room is against you that you might be _wrong_!?” he seethes, glaring up at his brother with as much ire as he can muster.

He watches as Luther’s free hand curls into a fist, trembling with restrained emotion. “I am doing what I have to for this family.”

“Oh cut the bullshit man!” Klaus shouts, clutching at his black hair in frantic anxiety. “You don’t give a shit about any of us 'cept your girlfriend over there!” he laughs starkly, his laughter bouncing off the tunnel walls eerily.

“Luther…” Allison tentatively starts, eyeing Five with trepidation before turning her gaze back to the other. “We can’t lock up our own sister, she’s so scared. This isn’t right.”

It might be the first time she’s fully taken a stance that isn’t with him. Although it’s somewhat surprising, it’s also a relief to know that not even Allison is so stubborn that she can overlook this blatant crossing of the line. Luther slowly turns his head over to her in disbelief, as if he’s seeing her for the first time. Their large brother straights ups, taking a step backwards.

“Even you, Allison?” Luther murmurs softly.

She frowns. “I’m not against you I just-“

“Being a leader, means that you have to make the hard choices. And this? This is one of those times. None of you have any idea what she’s capable of.” Luther barrels forward, interrupting her and holding up the journal. “But this is what matters. These answers right here.”

“I don’t have time for this.” Five snarls, stepping towards the locked off chamber to open the door. “You’re a complete buffoon.”

He’s blocked off by the brick wall that is Luther, the man’s large form cutting off Vanya’s frantic face with his own body.

“Move.” Five warns.

“You’ll understand someday that this is how it needs to go.”

He doesn’t answer. Luther is clearly too far gone to reason with. Instead he musters up any energy inside of him and flings himself through a warp. The startling pain is causes is an unwelcome surprise and he tumbles out the other side with a gritted out expletive.

His sister’s screaming is overwhelmingly loud.

It’s raw and unadulterated fear with sobbing in between. Five only has time to glance around for a second before he’s enveloped into a tight embrace that makes his lungs burn with strain. His sister clings to him, pushing his head into the crook of her neck and rocking them both back and forth on the floor. The lights are flickering overhead, making him feel sick.

“Vanya!” he rasps.

“Five!FiveFiveFive _please_ Ididn’tdoanythingFiveFive-“ his sisters rambles in a barely coherent structure, her gasping breaths harsh down the back of his neck.

He has to pry himself from her with more force than necessary, clutching onto her shoulders with a tight squeeze as he looks into her tear-stricken face. “Vanya!” he shouts again, trying to grab her full attention.

“ _Oh god_ pleasepleaseI-Ididn'tdoanything! _Please-“_ she sobs as her head droops. “Not again, I can’t be here again. Not again-notagain-“

Again?

“ _Vanya!_ ” he barks in desperation, earning a startled jerk of her head upwards to him. “It’s going to be okay. Alright?” He says firmly. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll get you out of here.” He tells her in slow words that are full of intention. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Five.” She whispers back to him, voice cracking on a sob as she shudders and falls apart again.

The door is wrenched open with a harsh grinding groan and suddenly he’s being yanked backwards with a large hand. The sudden jerk of movement sends a shock of pain through his body and Vanya screams as he’s thrown out of the room. He lands harshly onto his back, feeling like the air from his lungs rattled and shaken from his body. The door shuts with thud of finality, locking away his sister’s wailing once again.

 _“Let him go!”_  

“Luther!” Allison yells in alarm.

“What the hell!” Klaus shouts in panic, kneeling down by Five with hovering hands. “He’s injured you-you asshole, what the hell’s your problem! _Shit_ , are you okay?”

“I-I didn't mean-He can’t be in there! It’s for everyone’s safety!”

“You’re out of your mind.” Five rasps quietly from the floor, staring up at the ceiling blankly. “Nothing you do will bring him back. Not even if you abuse us like him.”

Silence.

A loud metallic slam startles everyone out of the tense silence. Five pushes himself up into a sitting position with a grimace, waving Klaus’s hands away. Luther has turns around and punched the metal chamber, the material groaning under his power but not yielding. The other siblings stare at their brother’s back with caution as the man’s hand slowly slides down and dangles limply at his side.

“Why, are you always making things so difficult for me? I’m not the bad guy here. Regardless of what you think, I’m not.” Luther says quietly. “It’s like I’m the only person who cared about dad. He might not have been perfect, but he was our father. He was _our_ father. He built a legacy-” Luther turns, fully facing them.

“He built a legacy off of greed and manipulation.” Five cuts him off, pushing himself off of the floor and back into a standing position. “He abused his own children and made them into a fucking sideshow attraction, and you know that.”

His side aches.

“He did his best for us.” Luther grits out.

“Is this what is best for us, Number One? If you honestly think that then you’re just as bad as he is!” Five shouts back. “Didn’t you read the journal? Didn’t you see everything that he has said about you? About _us_?” Five appeals passionately, spreading his hands out. “He treated us like fucking test subjects! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

“It-It means _everything_ to me!” his brother stammers, placing a giant hand to his chest.

“Then why are you so insistent about carrying his broken "legacy" when-"

“Because if I _don’t_ _then my entire life IS A LIE!_ ” Luther roars in agony, stunning everyone into silence.

Five’s brain stutters and stumbles before it simply halts, completely thrown off course from the track it had previously been going down. He takes in Luther’s glittering eyes of manic desperation, clutching that cursed journal like it’s the only thing tethering him to this world. Allison has put a hand to her mouth in emotion, her eyes tearing up seeing the real hurt her brother is experiencing. Klaus is standing just behind Five like a protective bodyguard, nibbling his lip in clear conflict. Everyone is silent. The words sink in too long, and the raw pain behind them is now revealing itself.

Luther is hurting.

Of course Five had known that Luther would take Reginald’s death the hardest, but he didn’t think it would span across so many different levels of grief. Now that Luther has read the journal, and knows the way Reginald truly thought about them all he had made a decision. Instead of accepting that everything he had ever done was not for a greater purpose, but instead simply the selfish machinations of one old man, he decided to cling onto the idea instead. The idea of Reginald. The idea of the old man being a stern but caring father. The idea that they were all a family and that he had to be the one to take over now that their father is gone. The idea that there had always been a bigger purpose for everything that Reginald had made him do. The idea that Reginald loved them and had simply wanted children to call his own.

If his brother doesn't follow that belief, he has to face the harsh reality that  the meaning behind everything he has ever done crumbles in his hands and blows away like dust.

“Luther...” Allison starts with sympathy.

“Everything I have ever done; I’ve done for him. I’ve done for us. I thought-“Luther cuts himself off, his voice cracking at the end. “I can continue what he wanted.”

“Well what about what we want, huh?” Klaus asks shakily.

“All of his work, my work…it won’t be wasted. It can't be wasted” he continues, tuning out everyone's words.

“Luther.” Five starts, at a loss about how to approach this situation.

Pushing Luther to face the truth might even do more harm than good, he doesn’t know. He’s at a loss here. It isn’t as if he can just tell the man to get the hell over it and stop being so purposefully blind. Luther’s sheep-like mentality has always been an issue, but never has it gotten to such a degree. Never has it gotten so bad that it has been purposefully chosen in order to preserve his heart.

“Just be quiet, Five!” Luther snaps. “ _I’m sick of you_. You come in here, and you question anything and everything. You always have this way of making me seem like I’m some sort of idiot just because I actually cared to be good and not make it more difficult for him.” His brother points at him with a sneer. “At least I know who I am, and at least I know that everything I’m trying to do, it’s for our family. What do you know? What do you even know!?”

Five blinks in the face of his brother’s ire, wondering how much of this stems from reading his father’s frustrations with Five and how much of this is just genuinely coming from Luther. “You’re not him Luther, and you don’t have to be.” He states quietly.

“Of course I’m not him, he was- “

“No Luther. He wasn’t, he really wasn’t.” Five says in resignation.

Klaus stands a little closer to Five, so close that he can feel the barely-there brush of the man’s shirt at his side. “Yeah! You can be your own person now though; you can think and do things for you. You can live your own life! Have some fun, do a little jaunt around town.”

“I already am my own person.” Luther states, but his voice wavers and everyone hears it.

Five turns his head to stare down Allison, who thus far has been more of a passive spectator than any help. He wonders if she doesn’t know what to say, or if it’s hard for her to go against the sibling she has always been closest with. Or maybe she just still can’t choose and internally agrees with Luther, regardless of what she said. Still, if there was a time for her to step up, it needs to be now. There’s some sort of change in the air that can happen, they just need to figure out the right words.

And Five isn’t always good with words.

Her own dark eyes stare back, conflicted and concerned. She seems just as lost as Luther does, not knowing what to say to their hurting sibling. Did their arguments just before this rattle their relationship too deeply? Is that why she’s remained silent for most of this encounter? She turns back to Luther, searching the man’s face for something.

“Luther.” she calls to him gently.

Luther turns over to look at her with uncertain eyes, a flicker of hope burning within them.

“We can start over and-and finally be a family the right way.”

Something cold passes through Luther’s eyes and it’s like Five can visibly see the walls slam down. Shit. Five doesn’t know what she said that caused such a reaction, but clearly those weren’t the right words. Whether it’s the direct insult to Reginald’s fathering or something unfortunately more like saying she wants to remain his family, Five just doesn’t know nor does he think he wants to.

The only thing he is certain of is that they just lost the one window of opportunity they had.

“This is how it is. Just go back upstairs and let me take care of this. Vanya is a danger.”

“She takes medication that dampens her powers. She is not a threat. She’s not dangerous.” Five interjects angrily, frustrated that he needs to even mention that. “You would know that if you read the journal.”

Five hasn’t even read all of the journal, but he knows for a fact that Vanya’s entire power debacle is detailed in great length by Reginald. It was a main source of frustration for the man as she could never be fully contained. Luther’s logic seems to be on the back-burner which isn’t surprising since anything having to do with their dad instigates a more emotional response, but this doesn’t make sense.

“I’m taking active precautions now that dad isn’t here.”

“Well it’s not like you can just keep her locked up man!” Klaus grits out. “We all got lives to live and we’re all um-you know, _adults_? You don’t have power over us.”

Vanya has disappeared from the circular window at some point which makes Five’s heart throb in worry. He needs to get her out. He thought he had a chance to initially convince Luther, but they took a wrong step somewhere and now it’s only getting muddier by the second.

“Just let me do what I need to do!” Luther shouts in frustration, waving around the journal wildly.

“And just what is that, Luther? What are you going to do?” Allison snaps, throwing her hands up in the air. “That’s our sister in there!”

“Our sister with untamed powers whose medication could run out at any moment and then what!?” Luther shouts angrily back. “She can’t be trusted to just roam free now that dad is gone! He always had a plan to subdue her if she ever got out of hand!”

“She’s been living alone for years!”

“This is fucking insane.” Klaus whispers, digging his knuckles into his forehead as Allison and Luther start a circle of arguments.

 _“We should call Diego.”_ Ben suggests. _“And maybe even Pogo.”_ As a hasty afterthought.

“We can’t just leave her in there though for that long.” Five whispers. “You didn’t hear her.”

“Oh I heard her plenty…I followed them down when he threw her in here.” Klaus mumbles, blinking rapidly to push back some tears threatening to surface. “That’s Vanya, she wouldn’t hurt a fly...hell, an ant!”

Five moves forward without really processing what he’s doing, trying to get a glance inside the locked room. What if she passed out? What if she can’t breathe? He almost had his ribs cracked when she desperately clung to him the first time. There is no way to describe the pure terror Vanya is experiencing just by being in that room.

Luther’s hand clamps down on his shoulder firmly, tightening to a painful degree.

“Go back upstairs.” The man warns. “I’m not going to tell you again.”

Five balks in surprise at the threat for a single second before bursting into angry laughter, his side igniting in agony as he gasps out his harsh exhales. “What are you going to do about it, hit me?” he grins sharply. “You’ve already done that.”

He watches as Luther clenches his jaw so tight that he can almost hear the teeth grinding against each other, the fingers tightening on his shoulder to an agonizingly painful degree. Five warps through his brother’s grasp and back into the sound proof chamber, staggering in pain as he stumbles out the other side.

Fuck he really can’t do that much in his current state.

Vanya is laying on the ground, curled up in a fetal position as she clutches her head. She’s murmuring a string of unintelligible words in a constant stream. Her fingers tug sharply at her mousy brown hair, and Five can see that she’s even tugged a couple strands out from pulling too harshly. He quickly moves over to her, his knees harshly thudding onto the floor as he comes to her side.

“Vanya.” He calls, placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder. “Vanya, I’m here.”

There’s a flash of movement in the window and he knows his time is too short. Luther is going to come back in and haul him out. He needs to decide what to do. He could try and warp them both out of the room but there’s no way he’d be able to warp them far. Luther could still easily just outrun them and throw her right back in. Allison’s is standing right in front of the window, trying to stop or convince Luther to stop. He’s grateful for his sister’s help, even if it’s a little too late. Still, every second counts in this scenario.

“Five?” Vanya croaks, slowly releasing her hands from her hair.

She turns sluggishly over to him, eyes roaming up at down his form in disorientation. A shaky hand reaches out, touching his cheek.

“You’re alive.”

Five frowns softly, wondering what sort of strange fugue state his sister is in mentally. “Yes.”

Her eyes widen and she scrambles up and onto her knees. “You’re alive. Oh my god, you’ve alive.” She chants in awe, her hands reaching out and touching him on the face, the hair, brushing his shoulders and feeling his blazer.

“Vanya, I’m alive. We will get you out of here, but you need to hang on until then, alright?” he says, putting his hands on her shoulders in an effort to steady her.

His sister isn’t listening to him, still looking at him like he’s a ghost that’s returned from the past. He is, in a way, but it isn’t promising that she somehow has reverted to this sort of mental state in her panic. She pulls him into another embrace, cradling the back of his head like he’s something precious to be held.

“Never again. Never again I won’t lose you ever again. You’re all I have, Five. _You’re all I have._ ” She says, repeating this several times over.

She had already said this once before, something similar to it anyways.

“Vanya, please.” He says softly, unable to be frustrated at her lack of coherency in this situation.

She’s so obviously traumatized. It hurts him to know how much his sister has suffered. It’s in such a different way then the other siblings, but just as damaging. They are all so broken, is it any wonder that Five couldn’t get this right even the second and third time around? He pulls away from her with a bit of a struggle, looking at her cracked expression with solemn eyes. They stare at each other, the silence of the chamber creating a faint humming in their ears from just how quiet it is. It’s unnerving, and it makes him feel sick with the knowledge that she has been locked in here before.

He hadn’t known.

He really hadn’t known.

God, he hadn’t known.

The door wrenches open again and Five closes his eyes in resignation. What can he do here? He’s not at full strength, Klaus can’t fight, and Allison…he doesn’t know what Allison is doing. She has issues about using her powers, though apparently it didn’t stop her from using it on him. Couldn’t she get Luther to at least stand down? Allison is too emotionally compromised with Luther’s well being, wanting to appeal to him in the humane way so she doesn’t have a guilty conscience afterwards.

Funny how morals only apply to certain people.

“Luther are you listening to me!?” Allison shouts at the man who is reaching inside the chamber. “I’m telling you the truth!”

“What does that matter?” Luther shouts back, his eyes set on Five with steely determination. “Even if you rumored her that’s just a belief! You’ve seen how easily the loopholes can be taken advantage of!”

Vanya clenches onto Five tightly, pulling him to her chest and squeezing the very breath from his body. His side throbs in pain, the sudden movements and pressure on it too much for his injuries to withstand.

“No no no you can’t take him!” Vanya shouts at the intimidating figure in the doorway, trying to wrench them further back into the chamber. “He just got back, y _ou can’t take him from me!_ ” she screams at Luther again, the anger in her voice palpable and the most intense he’s ever heard her.

Luther is trying to compact himself through the door, his giant frame making it difficult to get inside. “Stop. Don’t make this harder than it has to be Vanya.”

“Vanya, it’s going to be okay, I promise.” Five murmurs, his words slightly muffled into his collar.

He pulls away to stare down Luther, feeling Vanya’s hand desperately reach out and tug at his sweater vest. Her whimpers crack his already broken heart.

“You know you can’t win, Five.” Luther states. “You’re in no condition. Just step out.”

Five grins in seething anger back at his brother. “You’re not my fucking dad, but if you so badly want to be like him, you’re feel free to beat me up again and haul me away. That’s what you want, right?”

They stare each other down, the lights flickering in the dark room like dying stars.

“I will never stop.” He rasps, feeling oddly out of breath. “If you continue like this Luther, I will never stop defying you. You’re always talking about the hard truths, but maybe you need to stop and acknowledge the real hard truth of your own”

“Stop.” Luther warns.

“Just say it, Luther. You loved him. You loved him and he used you. He used all of us. You know this. He sent you on missions, and he sent you to the moon-“

“Don’t!”

“He sent you to the moon. He trusted you, not because you were exceptional, but because he knew you would follow orders and not question back. He abused you.”

“I said _don’t!_ ” Luther shouts raggedly, slamming his hand on the outside of the room with a loud bang.

“And you can’t admit that deep down you _hate him_ just as much as we do, because everything you have done wasn’t for some amazing achievement. It was just for him!” Five spits, feeling his own raw anger at Reginald rear its ugly head. "It's always just been for him."

Luther looks at Five as if he has never seen him before. Maybe it’s because Five is getting just as emotionally worked up now as Luther is. It’s not a side that he shows easily, besides casual ire and exasperation, but Reginald is always an exception. Now more than ever after that damned journal.

“I-I love him.” Luther croaks.

“You can love someone and hate how they act or treat you at the same time. I do. If I hated you, I wouldn’t have stuck around now, would I?”

Luther is silent, sluggishly blinking back tears welling up in his eyes.

“But my entire life, Five.” He whispers eventually. “My entire life was for nothing…? Every single thing I have ever done…”

“Of course not.” Five sighs. “You still have skills, talents, and things you have learned through this. You just need to not be such a blind fool and think and use them for yourself. Have you ever had an independent thought in your life? Or has it always just been run by him?”

“I- “

“Just...let us out, Luther.”

Another silence.

Slow tears are running down his brother’s face and all Five can find in his heart is sympathetic pity. Luther has always been different from them. It’s sad, to think that even following Reginald’s lead has all lead to this in the end anyways. The leader is just as broken and in just as terrible of a spot as they all are, just in a different way. Just like Vanya. Just like Klaus. Just like him. Just like all of his family. They have all suffered in an incredible magnitude, each in their own ways.

Five watches as Luther rubs a hand across his eyes, swiping at the tears a single time before ducking his head and backing out of the doorway.

“Alright.” The man relents softly.

Five stares out the clear entryway in stunned silence. He didn’t expect after everything that the outcome would finally go in his favor.

 _"Please get out of this room Five, I can’t stand this.”_ Ben says softly by his side.

Five gets to his feet, feeling Vanya’s tighten her grip on his clothing possessively.

“No.” Vanya suddenly says, jerking him out of his stupor.

No?

Confused, he turns his head, looking down at his sister. She’s staring at her palm blankly. There’s blood smeared her fingers, coating her skin in a crimson. He inhales in alarm, turning fully towards her to see where she injured herself.

“No, no _no no._ NO.” Vanya repeats, her hand trembling.

“What happened? Where are you hurt?” he asks in alarm, beginning to pat her down.

She shakily looks up at him then back down to her palm, then back up to him. Suddenly she clutches at his wrists, staggering upwards and pulling him to her chest in a protective embrace. His side throbs at the harsh jostle. The epiphany comes when she presses a hand to his side purposefully, earning a surprised inhale of pain from him.

Oh, it’s not her blood at all. His stitches broke.

“Wait, it’s fine Vanya. It’s just my- “he starts, but she suddenly screams so loud that it feels like the very walls are shaking.

Or maybe they are. It feels like her voice is twisting throughout his entire bloodstream pulling the air from his lungs. His ears are still ringing when she stops. He looks up at her in disorientation, trying to figure out what he can say to reverse the high intensity trauma she is still reliving just from being in the chamber. She’s not in her right mind, and he needs to get her out of here now.

“Vanya!” he shouts at her in alarm, grabbing at the hand that his shakily running over his wound.

“No no no I told you I wouldn’t ever lose you again. I can’t I can’t!” she sobs to the air, putting her hands against his face and holding him in place like that. “I CAN’T BE ALONE FIVE!”

Terror envelops him in a rolling wave as he stares up at her with wide eyes. It’s some sort of psychotic break. Luther’s turnaround has come far too late, the terrible damage has already been done.

“Vanya!” Five hears Luther shout behind them. “Calm down, it’s okay! You can come out!”

There’s a faint cracking sound that reverberates around the area.

“Shit.” Five curses, attempting to move closer to the doorway so he can exit the chamber, but Vanya’s nails are starting to dig into his cheeks and he doesn’t want to force her to let go when she’s already in this state.

“What was that?” Five hears Allison ask outside the chamber.

 _“The tunnel!”_ Ben shouts in alarm. _“The wall just cracked!”_

“What!?” Klaus shouts. “Oh-oh shit.”

“What Klaus?” Luther asks, high on alert.

“It’s-we gotta leave. Like. _Now._ ”

“Vanya we need to go.”

“No. No I need to keep you safe. None of them are safe. None of them.” Vanya whispers incessantly, changing her grip to cling at his shoulders.

“You can keep me safe upstairs.” He retorts, tugging on her arm to try and get her to move with him. “This place might collapse.”

Fuck his side hurts.

Vanya pulls him back, her wide eyes unseeing. “NO. You can’t go anywhere! I can keep you here! I’ll do it right this time!” she says with a shaky smile.

“Vanya. Vanya I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere without you, but we have to leave!”

“I’m keeping you here, with me. You can’t go off again, I can’t-I can’t I can’t-“

“Vanya, enough!” Luther shouts, returning to the chamber doorway in agitated worry. “We need to go!”

Five attempts to pull Vanya along with him as he tries to reach Luther, but as soon as she realizes who she’s heading to she tries to yank him backwards. He plants his feet in, trying to hold his ground without having to physically fight off his sister. He can’t warp again, too concerned about what sort of consequences that might have if he separates from her. His wound is now open with full force, a bloody stain blossoming through his clothing.

And yet somehow the injury is the least of his worries right now.

“Five, can you-can you warp out and I can…” Luther trails off, looking at Five in hesitant question, as if asking for his permission.

Luther knocking out his sister is not an ideal scenario, but it might be better than staying here, considering the cracking is now echoing even inside of the room. Five grabs Vanya’s hand tightly, turning to face her in one last attempt.

“Vanya. I’m right here. I won’t leave you, I promise. But we need to leave, the tunnel might collapse.” He tries to explain to her rationally. “You told me to stay, and I will stay but we need to leave.”

She stares at him with glassy eyes, putting a bloodied hand over his own. “You didn’t listen to me the last time I tried to tell you no. So, I can do it right this time. I will, I will Five. I’m going to do it right this time.”

Her hand squeezes his own tighter.

He presses his lips together in disappointment, but it’s not her fault. She’s not even fully in the present, mashing past and current events together in some sort of distorted whirlwind. With a grit of his teeth he falls backward into his familiar blue light, seeing his sister’s eyes widen before he’s thrown into his voice. He comes out on the other side, immediately feeling the hands of Klaus support him before he stumbles and falls.

“Shit your side. What are we going to do with you, sunshine?” Klaus laughs tensely, the light-hearted comment falling flat in the wake of their sister’s breakdown.

He grits his teeth as he takes off his blazer, pressing it harshly into his side while Klaus keeps him upright.  It isn’t Luther who steps in though, but Allison. Five watches her slip through the opening with effortless movement, disappearing into the room. Klaus tugs Five back a bit, trying to corral him to start moving down the long corridor to the lift on the other side. Five can’t just leave without seeing Vanya though, he needs to make sure they all leave. All of them.

There’s another scream and suddenly Allison is being flung out of the chamber and onto her back. The walls of the very chamber room also groan and creaked under the strain of the power from within.

“What the-“ Klaus stammers in alarm.

“Allison!” Luther shouts, quickly kneeling down to his fallen sister.

Allison gasps for air, wheezing out a cough as Luther helps her into a sitting position. “No! I-I’m okay I-she…we should-“ she starts, but there’s a deafening crack from above them and suddenly they are art of time.

“MOVE!” Luther shouts, hauling Allison to her feet.

Five watches in detached observation as he’s hauled to face the direction of the lift and pushed along by Klaus in an effort to get out of there before the entire thing collapses. He cranes his head backwards in an effort to find Vanya, but a startled shout from the brother currently trying to tug him along startles him out of his thoughts. Suddenly the sound all comes rushing back in and there are pieces of concrete raining down on them, the earth rumbling from all around them.

Why did it always go so wrong?

Five tugs Klaus backwards, sucking in a pain breath through his teeth as his brother flails into his body as he narrowly escapes a rock falling onto his skull. That doesn’t however, solve the problem of said rock now blocking off the life elevator. Luther charges forward, attempting to shove debris and the gigantic chunk of concrete out of the way. The metal gate on the contraption is already bent and crushed, it might not even work even if they manage to get it.

Oh, they aren’t going to make it out of here alive.

Five feels a solemn ghost of a smile tilting upwards on his face. He squeezes his brother’s hand tightly once, looking up at him with a forlorn smile.

“I love you, Klaus.” He says over the roaring earth, not missing the way his brother’s breath hitches and his eyes widen.

Then he turns back, making his way down the rocky distorted tunnel. He steps over the debris and fallen rocks along the way, eyes straight on the chamber. Klaus is calling for him, and he hears Ben ask what he’s doing. It doesn’t matter even if they did make it out alive though. It doesn’t matter if the lift still worked even as the tunnel is slowly degrading around them. It doesn’t matter if he could get his wound stitched up fine and that this could all be a fleeting memory.

It doesn’t matter because Vanya wouldn’t be there.

He steps back into the darkness of the room, towards the huddled-up ball on the floor. She’s sitting in a curled-up position, her legs tugged up to her chest as she digs her forehead into her knees.  Five sloppy drops to his own knees with a slight thud and a shockwave of unpleasant pain. He reaches for her without a word, tugging her into his embrace, resting his cheek onto her hair.

“I-I di-didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I didn’t-“ Vanya whispers, barely being heard over the crumbling world around them.

“You didn’t. It’s fine.” Five tells her frankly, feeling her knees open up and her arms wrap around him.

“You’re here? You came back...” She says in disbelief, tightening her arms around him like if she doesn’t hold tightly enough that he will disappear.

“Yes Vanya. I’m here. I will always come back for you.”

There’s some shuffling behind him, a hand on his shoulder. So, Klaus followed him after all. Maybe Luther couldn’t dig out an entrance, or maybe the lift itself doesn’t work. Or maybe Klaus just doesn’t care enough and simply wants to stay with Five. The lights shatter above them, plunging their world into darkness.

He doesn’t even feel the harsh agony of death this time. It’s just a sweet kiss on his lips that turns his world cold as they take him into their arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //so how about that....-coughs- this was a long one!
> 
> Some notes about Vanya:  
> Obviously I don't need to go through the trauma she's been through. We have seen her reaction inside that room in the show and its TERRIBLE. In regards to her powers being utilized in this chapter, it's true that she was off her medication for a bit in the show before her powers really started happening intensely. However we see that the biggest spells of power outbursts came from emotional distress and I feel like this chapter put her in as bad of an emotional situation if not worse than the show. 
> 
> I tried to make it that her powers shown in this chapter were obviously not as powerful as they would have been had she been off her medication. She didn't slice open Allison's neck or completely destroy the sound proof chamber. The worst that happened was at her worst emotional peak and that was an outburst of air which then caused the structural integrity of the tunnel to falter. Hopefully it wasn't too unrealistic for that to happen! I did try and give that thought.
> 
> Some notes about Luther:  
> He is very unlikeable in the show, and it's very clear why the majority of the fanbase does not like this guy. I feel bad for Luther though, he has suffered in his own ways, and I wanted to try and go more in depth into that especially in such a situation like this. He learned not only about the moon stuff but just about Reginald's thoughts and writings in general. What does someone who has already blindly followed do? Does he cling to that notion of still fulfilling his duties, even going to an extreme measure? Or does he think for himself but in the process, admit that so much of his life has been dedicated to the wrong person? I tried to show this struggle with him and not make him a good guy or a villain. it's so easy to villainize Luther, I mean just look at the stuff he does in the show. He really is a minor antagonist in his own right sometimes, but he really does care for his family and he has good traits. Luther is my least fav sibling too just like most of you, but I still find his character very interesting and I hope I have done an alright job portraying him, even with his flaws and struggles.


End file.
